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Synopsis

The Delhi High Court on Monday asked Advocate Shashwat Bhardwaj, petitioner-in person in plea over monkey menace in the city, to give some solutions in relation to the issue.

The division bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Sanjeev Narula was hearing a plea against the alarming infestation of the simian population and a consecutive increase in the cases of monkey bites.

During the hearing, the counsel for the Delhi government submitted, “The sterilization process is so tough”.

“It’s just not possible”, CJ Sharma said.

Bhardwaj submitted that the problem is still existing. “The NDMC is a part to the present plea, they have not taken any stand up till now….Some directions will have to be passed”, he added.

“Which directions? Monkeys don’t understand these directions. Please tell us what has to be done”, CJ Sharma said orally.

“Only vasectomy of monkeys is the solution… Some areas may be marked as for monkeys. Monkey zones may be created. Monkeys need to be caught in herds…This is an issue of serious concern. No practical solution is coming forward.”, Bhardwaj suggested.

“We can mark an area for a human being, but cannot do so for monkeys”, CJ Sharma said.

The court asked the petitioner to come up with solutions to the issue and posted the matter for further consideration on November 30, 2023.

Through the present plea, Bharadwaj  raised the issue that New Delhi has a perennial problem with the vaulting ambitions of the simian race. Monkeys are usually seen, amidst screams of surprise from unsuspecting passers-by, roaming around the centers of power in the national capital, he stated in the plea.

Bharadwaj also pointed out that the situation is grave as even in the premises of Delhi High Court, near the glass canteen, monkeys are seen snatching food etc.

His plea submitted that "the graveness of the situation is evident from the fact that in the month of March 2022, the Supreme Court of India had floated tenders for recruitment of 'monkey scarers' to be deployed close to the residential bungalows (including guest houses) of the Judges located within a radius of 3 to 4 Kilometres from the Supreme Court of India".

Additionally, the plea mentioned that several directions had been passed by the High Court in the year 2007 while dealing with a writ petition filed by the residents of New Friends Colony, to deal with the menace of not only stray monkeys but also other stray animals such as cattle and dogs. It is quite amusing to note that despite two decades since the directions passed by the High Court, little headway had been made in the efforts to curb the 'monkey menace' in Delhi, the plea added.

It was also submitted that "it was shocking to note that despite the Central Government sanctioning Rs 5.43 Crore to Delhi's Forest Department in January 2019 for sterilization of 8,000 monkeys in the first year of its 3-year plan, not a single monkey had been sterilized".

Case Title: Shashwat Bharadwaj Vs. Govt.  of NCT of Delhi & Anr.