PIL Over Ill-Treatment Of Equines Deployed On Char-Dham Yatra Routes: Ut'khand HC Seeks Presence Of State Animal Welfare Board Official

The Uttarakhand High Court on Monday heard a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) plea concerning the ill-treatment of the equines, which are deployed in the Kedarnath, Yamunotri, Gangotri, Gaumukh and Hemkhud Sahib pilgrimage routes for the purpose of carrying pilgrims as well as goods.

Calling it a "very serious issue of public interest", the bench of Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Rakesh Thapliyal directed the Secretary, Animal Husbandry, the Chairperson of the Executive Committee of the State Animal Welfare Board and the concerned District Magistrates to remain present before the Court on August 10.

The Court, however, clarified that the proceedings are not adversarial and the reason for requiring their presence is to be able to communicate to them the Court's concerns and to hear them with regard to the steps taken by them in relation to the issue raised by the petitioner.

Essentially, the Court was hearing the plea filed by the petitioner-in-person, Gauri Maulekhi pointing out as to how each year, hundreds of equines die while being used by their handlers.

In her plea, she also alleged that there is an utter lack of sensitivity and complete indifference, not only on the part of the handlers, who treat the animals as mere sources of income but also on the part of the Administration, which is "blind to the enormity of the suffering", to which the equines are being subjected.

She further submitted that there is hardly any infrastructure created on these routes, and there is no proper regulation, and monitoring by the Authorities to ensure that the animals are properly looked after while they render services, and they are attended to medically whenever such medical attention is necessary.

During the course of the hearing in the matter, the petitioner-in-person also submitted that the State Animal Welfare Board has framed its own SOP concerning the issue at hand, however, she added, the same is highly diluted, and even that is not being implemented on the ground.

Further, when the petitioner-in-person drew the attention of the Court to the communication of June 2022 sent by her organization has sent, highlighting the immediate and urgent steps that need to be taken by the Stat for the welfare of the equines, the Court directed the State to respond to the said communication, point by point, by filing an affidavit within two weeks.

The matter will be heard next on August 10. 

As per a report of The Times of India, a total of 115 mules and horses working on the Char Dham and Hemkund Sahib routes died this year since the pilgrimage to the four Himalayan shrines started on April 22 this year.

Case title - Gauri Maulekhi vs. State of Uttarakhand and others

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