Madras High Court Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava recently shared his delight regarding the thriving wild elephant population in Tamil Nadu. As of Wednesday, October 29, 2025, the state has witnessed a remarkable increase, with the number of elephants rising from 3,063 in 2024 to 3,170 in 2025. This substantial growth, an addition of 107 elephants in just one year, is a testament to dedicated conservation initiatives.
The Chief Justice, who was presiding over the first Division Bench alongside Justice G. Arul Murugan, brought up this positive news while hearing a case. The legal challenge concerned a controversial proposal to relocate an elephant calf from a sanctuary in Uttarakhand to the Nellaiappar temple in Tirunelveli district.
Addressing Advocate General P.S. Raman, the Chief Justice lauded the ‘very good’ outcome of the recent synchronised elephant population census conducted across all five elephant reserves in Tamil Nadu. He also expressed concern, however, noting that similar success was not being observed in other states across India.
A majestic herd of elephants observed at a tea estate in Valparai, Coimbatore district.
Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava.
He shared a stark contrast, highlighting the significant challenges faced in his home state of Chhattisgarh. There, a distressing incident occurred near his hometown, Bilaspur, where a herd of 30 to 40 wild elephants unexpectedly appeared on a public road, causing considerable alarm among the local populace.
The Chief Justice explained that this alarming situation arose due to extensive habitat destruction in areas that once supported a large elephant population. Forest lands crucial for their sustenance had been obliterated by mining and various other activities, forcing these majestic pachyderms to forge new corridors in their quest for food. This displacement, in turn, led to the devastation of villages, agricultural lands, and homes, leaving residents terrified.
He noted that this crisis prompted the establishment of an elephant camp near a wildlife sanctuary, a collaborative effort between the Forest Department and esteemed non-governmental organizations specializing in elephant welfare.
The Advocate General informed the Chief Justice that Tamil Nadu also operates similar successful camps, citing the M.R. Palayam camp in Tiruchi as a prime example, which provides sanctuary to numerous elephants.
The Uttarakhand Elephant Calf Controversy
‘People for Cattle in India,’ an NGO, initiated the current Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition. They filed the petition in response to the death of Gandhimathi, a 55-year-old female elephant from the Nellaiappar temple, on January 12, 2025. Following her demise, the Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments department, in conjunction with the Forest Department, proposed bringing a new elephant calf from Uttarakhand.
Senior counsel Satish Parasaran, representing the NGO, argued passionately against the relocation. He asserted that wild elephants’ lifespans are drastically shortened in captivity, and therefore, the calf should not be forcibly removed from its natural herd in Uttarakhand and transported to Tamil Nadu. Parasaran emphasized that ‘such forced separation from the herd is not just a moment of pain but ends up causing a lifelong wound on the elephants.’
Conversely, the Advocate General informed the court that the proposal for the calf’s relocation was still in its initial stages, with no final decision made. He requested additional time to gather further directives from the Forest Department. Consequently, the court issued notices to both the Tamil Nadu government and the HR&CE department, opting to defer issuing a notice to the Uttarakhand Forest Department for the present.