On Friday, the Kerala High Court accepted a Public Interest Litigation brought by Vettampara Pourasamithy alleging recurrent elephant assaults in the Malayatoor Forest Regions.
According to the petitioner, many elephants from the forest entered human habitation areas and destroyed crops and infrastructure.
The petitioner’s main argument was that the lack of boundary fencing and trenches, as well as the complete failure of the electric fencing around the Malayattoor Forest region, had a negative impact on the lives of residents in the Ernakulam district.
The Forest Department has been ordered to file a statement and produce documents on the action taken in the case by a Division Bench consisting of Chief Justice S Manikumar and Justice Shaji P Chaly.
Sahasranaman, an advocate, represented the petitioner in the case. It was also mentioned that these invasions occasionally pose a major threat to the lives of local residents.
The PIL asks for orders to dig trenches or erect fencing to keep elephants out of the revenue property. According to the petitioners, the respondent failed to follow the best practices for protecting people against elephant assaults. People in the region, especially women and children, were said to be afraid to go out after dark.
