Rejecting the time of two months sought by the UP government to come up with an action plan to address the issue of monkeys in the state, the Allahabad High Court has directed the state government to come up with a plan within four weeks, and accord priority to the issue.
Accepting the submissions made on behalf of the Petitioners, the High Court has directed the state government to consider the Proposed Tentative Action Plan to address the issue of monkeys, being handed over to the Court during the course of the hearing.
The Court has further directed the state to consult the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) and the State Animal Welfare Board, while preparing any plan, a submission made by the Petitioners, so as to ensure that no cruelty of any kind was caused to the monkeys.
Mr. Akash Vashishtha and Pawan Tiwari, Advocates appeared for the Petitioners Mr. Vineet Sharma (BJP leader and social worker) and Ms. Prajakta Singhal (a B. Tech student), both Ghaziabad residents, agitated the miseries faced by the people on one hand and the hunger and starvation the monkeys due to lack of food for them, in almost all districts across the state.
Mr. Akash Vashishtha, Advocate, the arguing counsel for the Petitioners, said, “We had handed over a detailed Proposed Tentative Action Plan prepared by us to deal with the issue of monkeys across the state. In addition, we told the court that that the government must also consider the template and plan produced by the Nagar Palika Parishad Modi Nagar which may be adopted elsewhere, also, with certain conditions.”
“The Court was pleased to accept all our submissions and contentions and have directed the state government to attend to the problem faced across the state on priority,” Mr. Vashishtha said.
The Court had, on 18.09.2025, directed the Principal Secretary (Urban Development), Government of Uttar Pradesh to furnish the steps taken, if any, or proposed to be taken to ensure that the local bodies fulfil their responsibilities in terms of the Uttar Pradesh Municipal Corporation Act, 1959 and the Uttar Pradesh Municipalities Act, 1916.
Noting that the monkey-menace was creating havoc on the lives of the people, the Allahabad High Court had observed that each department was shifting its responsibility to another to control the man-monkey conflict, the Bench of Chief Justice Arun Bhansali and Justice Kshitij Shailendra, noted inaction on the part of the state government in framing an Action Plan/SOPs to control the monkey menace in response to the Letter, dated: 20.08.2025 of the District Magistrate Ghaziabad.
The High Court had on 06.05.2025 directed the Central and state government and its istrumentalities to explain what were the steps in place to deal with monkey-menace and what action plan was proposed in that regard, while issuing Notices to the Animal Welfare Board of India, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, UP government, UP State Animal Welfare Board, DM Ghaziabad, Ghaziabad Nagar Nigam, Nagar Palika Parishads of Loni, Modi Nagar, Murad Nagar, Khoda Makanpur, Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and GDA.
The petition raises the issues of increasing population of monkeys, increasing man-monkey conflict, hunger and loss of food to monkeys, their starvation and cruel/inhuman conditions the monkeys are living in.
The petition seeks directions for preparing an Urgent Action Plan, adequate infirmaries, veterinary care centres, adequate transport/rescue vans, relocation to forest areas, adequate provisions of food and setting up a 24X7 Grievance Helpline Portal.
The Court was told that the AWBI, being the Apex advisory body to Central Government as also an expert body was under a statutory duty to undertake measures to deal with the issue.
The petition is seeking harmonization of rights under Article 21 of the Constitution and the rights and freedoms of the animal, especially, the right to food and freedom from hunger, starvation and other causes, constituting cruelty.
