HC to the resuce of camels

Chennai, June 17 (UNI) The Madras High Court today came to the rescue of two camels brought here allegedly for slaughtering.

Acting on a plea by a forum for environment and animal protection, the First Bench comprising Chief Justice A P Shah and Justice D Murugesan directed the Chief Wildlife Warden to take custody of the animals, now kept near Videsh Sanchar Bhavan Complex, and put them at the Children's Park in Guindy.

The Bench passed the interim order when ''Elephant'' G Rajendran, Managing Trustee of the 'In defence of environment and animals forum,' a public charitable trust, made a special mention before it about the plight of the animals.

Mr Rajendran, who had originally filed a petition on the eve of Bakrid, seeking a ban on bringing camels to the state for the purpose of slaughtering during the festival, submitted before the First Bench that the two camels were brought for slaughter and the court should save them.

His original petition was heard by a Bench headed by Mr Justice R Banumathi which refused to grant stay. Since then, the petition was pending before the court.

Meanwhile, on seeing the two camels tied on the road side, Mr Rajendran, recalling his original petition, mentioned before the First Bench about the impending danger to the long-necked animals and wanted the court's intervention to save their lives.

UNI XR/WS MA RK1743