SC declares use of spikes and fireballs against elephants ‘barbaric’

The Supreme Court on Wednesday announced that states should abstain from harming elephants with spikes and fireballs to drive them away, declaring the practice to be barbaric.

After being told that such methods were allegedly adopted in states like Karnataka, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Odisha, a bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta asserted that the states have to stop such practice.

The lawyer representing Karnataka told the bench that spikes or any other barbaric method will not be used on elephants in the future as all the spikes obtained on tender would be removed. Upon hearing this, the bench directed the existing tenders issued in Karnataka for this matter would remain stayed. Similar orders were given to West Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand.

An affidavit by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change was also placed before the bench by Additional Solicitor General A N S Nadkarni. The affidavit said that instructions have been issued to all the concerned principal chief conservators of forest to abstain from torturing elephants using spikes and fireballs.

The apex court was reportedly hearing a petition on the issue of tenders of spikes and fireballs issued in the aforementioned states to drive away elephants.

(Featured Image – Daily Mail)