Will fully support Mahadevi's return: Vantara says involvement strictly on Court's directions

Vantara has clarified its involvement in the process of transfer of a 33-year-old female elephant named Mahadevi from a Kolhapur-based Jain Math, stating that it has been acting strictly in accordance to the binding directions issued by the Supreme Court and the Bombay High Court.

Last month, in a landmark affirmation of animal welfare jurisprudence, the Supreme Court of India upheld the Bombay High Court’s decision directing the transfer of a Mahadevi from a Kolhapur-based Jain Math to the Radhe Krishna Temple Elephant Welfare Trust (Vantara) in Jamnagar, Gujarat.

Considering the sentiments of the devotees, the leadership of the Jain Matha, and the wider community who have expressed their concerns and attachment to Mahadevi, Vantara has said that it will extend full support to any application filed by the Jain Matha and the Government of Maharashtra before the Court requesting Madhuri’s return to Kolhapur.

"Subject to the Court's approval, Vantara will provide complete technical and veterinary assistance for her safe and dignified return", a press release issued yesterday states.

Vantara has also proposed to work in close coordination with the Jain Matha and the State Government to establish a satellite rehabilitation centre for Madhuri in the Nandani area of Kolhapur. "We wish to clarify that this proposal is put forward solely to comply with and facilitate any directive that may be issued by the Hon'ble Court regarding Madhuri's future care, in accordance with international standards. It is not intended for any credit or recognition of Vantara. Moreover, this is a recommendation, not a binding or imposed condition", the release stated.

It is to be noted that the Court's decisions of transferring Mahadevi was based on a series of High Power Committee (HPC) orders and multiple inspection reports highlighting the elephant’s deteriorating condition and ill-treatment under religious custodianship.

Contrary to allegations that Vantara lobbied for Mahadevi’s transfer, the High Court had clarified that the process began with a representation from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), not the Jamnagar sanctuary. PETA’s complaint was submitted to the Union Government’s High Power Committee, which has the statutory mandate to oversee the welfare of captive elephants across the country.

Following the complaint, the HPC had issued orders on December 28, 2023, December 27, 2024, and June 3, 2025, recommending Mahadevi’s transfer. A sub-committee was also constituted to conduct on-site inspections in Kolhapur. Their reports painted a disturbing picture of neglect and abuse.

Photographs submitted to the Committee and the Court showed Mahadevi confined in a cramped, unsanitary shed with hard floors, chained by both legs, and suffering from severe foot rot, decubital ulcers, and overgrown toenails. In one instance, she was found paraded during religious processions with a heavy howdrah carrying humans and loudspeakers—likely the cause of her back injuries.

Despite the petitioner-math’s assertion that they provided proper care, the sub-committee’s June 12, 2024 report deemed the elephant’s living conditions as “dismal.” Subsequent reports confirmed partial recovery but continued to express serious concern about her health and the Math’s inability to meet standards of care. Notably, the Math had leased Mahadevi to the Telangana State Waqf Board for ₹4,00,000, raising red flags about commercial exploitation under the garb of religious use.

The high court cited the Supreme Court’s ruling in Animal Welfare Board of India v. A. Nagaraja (2014), which held that customs and traditions must yield to constitutional values and animal welfare obligations. Recognizing its role as parens patriae (guardian of the voiceless), the Court emphasized that Mahadevi’s suffering could not be justified by tradition.

The Court also addressed the choice of Vantara as the receiving sanctuary and noted that the sanctuary houses over 230 rescued elephants and provides open habitats, veterinary expertise, social integration, and behavioral rehabilitation.

While the petitioner claimed that Mahadevi had healed under their care, the Court observed that such recovery—if any—only underscored the severity of the original neglect. The delayed efforts were seen as reactive, inadequate, and insufficient to justify continued custody.

In its parting words, the Bombay High Court reflected on the core conflict: “We have considered and chosen the survival of the elephant and its right to quality life, over and above the rights of men to use the elephant for religious rites.” The Court expressed no doubt that the Math may not have acted with malicious intent. Yet, intent was irrelevant in the face of callous conditions and visible suffering.

On July 28, 2025, the Supreme Court directed compliance with the High Court’s order, instructing all authorities to facilitate Mahadevi’s transfer to Vantara without delay or harm. The travel arrangements are to be made sensitively, ensuring the elephant’s comfortm the court has ordered.