Will religious practices crumble if elephants aren’t paraded, asks Kerala HC

KOCHI: Declining to relax the 3-metre distance rule between elephants during parades, the Kerala High Court on Thursday orally observed, “Will religious practices crumble if elephants are not paraded during temple festivals? How is it an essential religious practice?” A division bench comprising Justice A K Jayasankaran Nambiar and Justice Gopinath P made the observation while hearing an application filed by the Cochin Devaswom Board seeking certain exemptions from the guidelines issued by the court, for the Vrishchikolsavam 2025 at Poornathrayeesa Temple in Tripunithura, which begins on Friday. “Until the devaswom board proves that religious practices cease to exist without elephants, there is no question of it being an essential religious practice,” said the court. Regarding the petition filed by the CDB to reduce the 3-metre distance rule, Dr P S Easa, an elephant expert and wildlife biologist, who appeared online, said captive elephants used in festivals are reportedly suffer from stress, which can lead to aggression.