The Maharashtra government will file a review petition in the Supreme Court seeking that an ailing elephant who was moved to the Vantara animal rescue centre in Gujarat be brought back to the Kolhapur district, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Tuesday.Fadnavis added on Wednesday that Vantara, run by Reliance Industries and Reliance Foundation, has agreed to join the petition before the Supreme Court.In July, the Bombay High Court ordered the rehabilitation of the female elephant, named Madhuri, in Vantara based on a petition by the non-governmental organisation People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. For 34 years, the elephant had been at a Jain monastery, named the Swastishri Jinsen Bhattarak Pattacharya Mahaswami Sansthan Mutt, in Kolhapur’s Nandani village.PETA claimed that the elephant, who is also known as Mahadevi, had been confined in chains and deprived of interactions with other elephants at the monastery.On July 28, the Supreme Court upheld the Bombay High Court order, The Hindu reported. Two days later, when Madhuri was moved to Vantara, protests erupted in Kolhapur and the bordering Sangli district.Protesters held a 40-km rally from the Nandani village to Kolhapur city. A signature campaign was also held against the transfer, during which agitators resolved to boycott products by Reliance and its telecommunications company Jio, according to The Hindu.Fadnavis on Tuesday said...Read more
Maharashtra to file review plea in SC to bring back ailing elephant from Gujarat’s Vantara
