Madras High Court dismisses case over transfer of five juvenile elephants from Assam to Tamil Nadu

Image used for representational purposes only | Photo Credit: RITU RAJ KONWAR

The Madras High Court on Thursday (October 1, 2026) dismissed a writ petition, which sought a direction to a Supreme Court-appointed high-powered committee in New Delhi to examine the legality of the transfer of juvenile elephants from Assam to various temples in Tamil Nadu.

The First Division Bench of Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan pointed out that the petitioner, Mridula Gopalakrishnan, of Chennai, had rushed to the court the very next day of submitting her representation to the high-powered committee.

“The petitioner approached this court less than 24 hours after submitting her representation to the administrative authorities, without affording the competent authority even a single business day to examine, evaluate, or act upon the request,” the judges wrote.