SC refuses to put stay on culling of Nilgai, wild boar and rhesus monkey

New Delhi, June 20: The Supreme Court on Monday asked an animal rights activist and other organisations to point out to the Central government flaws in its notifications permitting the culling of nilgais, wild boars and rhesus monkeys in Bihar, Uttrakhand and Himachal Pradesh.

An apex court vacation bench of Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel and Justice A.M Khanwilkar asked the government to consider and respond to the representations in two weeks time and directed the listing of three petitions on July 15.

While asking the petitioners to make representation to the Ministry of Environment and Forest, the bench in its order said that none of the three animals would be cuilled in forest areas.

Animal rights activist Gauri Maulekhi, WildLife Rescue and Research Organisation and Federation of Indian Animals Protection Organisations have challenged three notifications issued by the government by which nilgais and wild boars can be culled in some districts of Bihar and Uttarakhand and thesus monkeys in Himachal Pradesh.

The Animal Welfare Board of India also told the court that the notifications were flawed.

By the three notifications issued since December 2015, the three wIild animals were declared as vermin and permitted to be culled for one year.

IANS