The Supreme Court will on Thursday hear a fresh plea challenging the transfer of Mahadevi, a 30-year-old temple elephant from Kolhapur, to the Radhe Krishna Temple Elephant Welfare Trust in Jamnagar’s Vantara sanctuary.
The matter was mentioned before a bench comprising Chief Justice B.R. Gavai and Justices K. Vinod Chandran and A.S. Chandukar, with the petitioner’s counsel alleging that the elephant had been “forcibly taken” from the temple.
Mahadevi had been under the care of the Swastishri Jinsen Bhattarak Pattacharya Mahaswamy Sanstha, a Jain shrine in Nandani village, for over three decades. Her relocation has triggered widespread protests in Kolhapur, with thousands demanding her return.
In July, the Bombay High Court dismissed a petition by the temple trust challenging the recommendation of a high-power committee for her transfer, holding that the elephant’s welfare must take precedence over religious customs.
Subsequently, on July 28, a Supreme Court bench headed by Justice J.B. Pardiwala also rejected a plea against the high court ruling and directed that the transfer be executed at the earliest, ensuring the animal’s safety and comfort.
