Devaswoms and elephant owners welcome SC’s continued compliance with Kerala HC’s restrictions on elephant parades

The management committees and elephant owners of the Thiruvambady and Paramekkavu Devaswoms have welcomed the Supreme Court’s stay of the Kerala High Court’s restrictions on the use of elephants in temple festivals.

A bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and NK Singh passed the order in an appeal filed by Thiruvambady and Paramekkavu Devaswoms, the main organizers of the Thrissur Pooram festival.

“The Supreme Court’s ruling has come as a relief to hundreds of people who want to conduct Puram as per existing traditions and rituals. The restrictions issued by the high court are difficult to enforce,” said Paramekkavu Devaswom secretary G. Rajesh.

Representatives of Thiruvambady Devaswom said the rules imposed by the High Court made the actions of Thrissur Pooram impossible. They said guidelines including ensuring a distance of at least three meters between two elephants during parades and instructions requiring precise distancing and crowd control would be difficult to enforce. Devil Worm also supports maintaining a distance of five meters between torches and providing an eight-meter buffer zone for spectators. The guidelines also prohibit the parade of elephants on public roads between 9am and 5pm

G. Krishnaprasad, president of the Kerala Elephant Owners Association, said such restrictions cannot be implemented as it would completely change the nature of traditional festivals held in the state. He claims animal lovers who support such restrictions are receiving outside funding to pursue their interests.