HC raps CDB official for flouting elephant parade norms on fourth day of temple festival

A Division Bench of the Kerala High Court on Wednesday came down heavily on the Cochin Devaswom Board officer for violating court directive, including a distance norm to be observed between the jumbos during the elephant parade, on the fourth day of the festival at the Thripunithura Poornathrayeesa Temple. The Bench also directed Raghu Raman, Devaswom officer, to file an affidavit explaining the lapses on his part and to show cause why contempt of court action should not be initiated against him. When the suo motu case relating to the management and maintenance of captive elephants came up for hearing, the Bench, comprising Justice A. K. Jayasankaran Nambiar and Justice P. Gopinath, orally observed that the court could not tolerate such violations. The court pointed out that the explanation was that all the elephants paraded were accommodated in a shelter when it rained on the fourth day of the festival.