In a strong rebuke to the West Bengal government, the Calcutta High Court last week expressed serious concern over the state’s failure to tackle illegal elephant trafficking. The division bench of Justice Ravi Krishna Kapoor and Justice Arindam Mukherjee issued a stern directive for the immediate retrieval of three smuggled elephants—Bhola, Suman, and Basanti—from neighbouring Bihar.

“It is the duty of every citizen to be compassionate towards animals,” the court observed, underlining the state’s legal and moral responsibility to protect wildlife.

The court made it clear that the elephants in question are the legal property of the West Bengal government. It directed the Chief Wildlife Warden of Bengal to coordinate urgently with Bihar authorities to locate and recover the animals. The bench also warned of strict consequences if vigilance is not stepped up to prevent further instances of elephant smuggling.

The court’s directive came in response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by the Cape Foundation. The PIL exposed a disturbing pattern of illegal elephant transfers, alleging that at least 24 elephants have been smuggled out of Bengal to other states in exchange for money—flouting wildlife protection laws and skipping necessary forest department approvals.

Dubious ‘gift deed’ and expired ownership

According to the petition, Bhola, Suman, and Basanti were previously owned by the Nataraj Circus and were allegedly transferred to an ashram in Bihar’s Gopalganj district in 2017 under a “gift deed.” However, the Nataraj Circus’s ownership certificate had expired in 2013, rendering the transaction highly questionable and possibly illegal.

Post-transfer, the elephants were reportedly kept in deplorable conditions. Inspections revealed that the animals suffered from untreated skin diseases and leg injuries and were deprived of proper food and medical care. They were also allegedly being exploited for religious and political events.

In a 2022 visit by Bihar’s Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), the elephants were found missing from the ashram. The self-styled owner, Mahant Satyadev Das, had also gone absconding, raising alarms about the animals’ current status.
Court orders swift action, cross-state coordination

West Bengal and Bihar governments told to recover missing elephants

The Calcutta High Court has now ordered the West Bengal and Bihar governments to work in close coordination to recover the missing elephants without delay. Additionally, Bengal authorities have been directed to strengthen border surveillance and take robust steps to curb illegal wildlife trafficking.

In its closing remarks, the bench emphasised, “It is the responsibility of both the state and society to uphold compassion, protection, and dignity for wildlife.” The court’s decision sets a firm precedent, urging greater accountability in safeguarding India’s vulnerable wildlife.