The Uttarakhand High Court is set to reopen hearings in the controversial 2016 Shaktiman horse death case, with a fresh petition filed by a local resident challenging the acquittal of the accused. The hearing is scheduled before a single bench of Justice Rakesh Thapliyal on June 9.
The petition, filed by Hoshiyar Singh Bisht of Pithoragarh, seeks punishment for those allegedly responsible for the death of Shaktiman, a police horse who sustained injuries during a political protest in 2016 and later succumbed to them.
Earlier, in December 2024, the High Court had reserved its verdict after concluding the hearing on Bisht’s initial petition. However, the emergence of a fresh plea has led to the matter being listed again for judicial consideration.
Background of the Incident
The incident dates back to March 2016, when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) staged a protest outside the Uttarakhand Vidhan Sabha against the then Congress-led government. Amid the chaos, Shaktiman, a police horse deployed for crowd control, was seriously injured. The horse’s injuries and subsequent death sparked national outrage.
Then BJP MLA Ganesh Joshi—now a cabinet minister in the Pushkar Singh Dhami government—was accused of assaulting the horse with a stick, causing a fracture in its leg. Following the incident, an FIR was lodged against Joshi at the Nehru Colony Police Station in Dehradun on April 23, 2016, and a charge sheet was filed against him on May 16, 2016.
Case Withdrawal and Acquittal
In 2021, the state government filed an application seeking withdrawal of the case, which was accepted by the Chief Judicial Magistrate of Dehradun. Consequently, Joshi was acquitted of all charges on September 23, 2021.
The acquittal was challenged by Bisht, who pointed out that despite not being a complainant or a witness, the gravity of the incident and public interest warranted judicial scrutiny.
Fresh Plea
Bisht’s latest petition urges the High Court to overturn the Dehradun District Court’s acquittal order and to direct legal proceedings against Joshi and others involved. The petitioner maintains that justice has not been served in the matter and has appealed for accountability in the custodial death of the police animal.
The case, symbolic of political protests turning violent, has resurfaced as a test of institutional responsibility and judicial oversight in cases involving public servants and animal cruelty.
The matter will be heard on June 9 at the Nainital bench of the Uttarakhand High Court.
