Kolhapur: Supreme Court dismisses PETA India's plea to relocate Madhuri elephant, imposes fine of Rs 25,000

Kolhapur, Oct 9 (UNI) Dealing a major blow to PETA India, which had demanded the relocation of female elephant Madhuri from Nandani Math in Kolhapur district to the Vantara project in Jamnagar, the Supreme Court today dismissed its plea and imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on the animal rights organization.

The top court ordered that the penalty amount be used for Madhuri's medical treatment. PETA had filed a plea in the Supreme Court to relocate Madhuri elephant from Nandani Math to Vantara pleading that she was chained and kept in solitary confinement and demanded she be sent back to Vantara.

The case was heard before a bench of Justice J. B. Pardiwala and Justice Vinod Chandran. PETA had claimed that after Madhuri Hattini was brought back to Nandani Math, she was again chained and kept in solitary confinement. It also demanded through the petition for immediate intervention in the matter and that Madhuri be sent back to 'Vantara' in Jamnagar. While rejecting PETA's petition, the court imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on the organization and ordered it to use the fine amount for Madhuri's medical treatment.

With the court's decision, it is clear that Madhuri elephant will remain at Nandani Math, informed Nandani Math's lawyer Manoj Patil. During the hearing, the Supreme Court strongly criticized PETA's position. After understanding all the sides, the court rejected PETA's petition and ordered a fine. Notably, Madhuri had lived at the Swastishri Jinsen Bhattarak Pattacharya Mahaswami Sansthan Math in Nandani for over three decades. After concerns were raised over her health, including osteoarthritis and foot diseases, she was relocated to the Vantara Elephant Rehabilitation Centre in Jamnagar, Gujarat, in August 2025 under court orders.

However, the move triggered massive public outrage, protests, highway blockades, and city-wide shutdowns across Kolhapur. Bowing to continuous public pressure and intense regional campaigns, the Supreme Court-appointed High-Powered Committee (HPC) modified its stance and cleared her return to Kolhapur on September 9, 2026. PETA had legally challenged her return, arguing that keeping her tethered in a temple shed violated animal welfare guidelines and hindered her recovery.

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