New Delhi   

Court orders deportation of 300 monkeys

J. Venkatesan

At a cost of Rs.25 lakhs to be given by the Centre to M.P.

NEW DELHI: It was real monkey business in the Supreme Court on Tuesday. The Court ordered deportation of nearly 300 monkeys captured from various areas of the Capital to forests in Madhya Pradesh for a price of Rs.25 lakhs to be given by the Centre to the State Government.

A three-Judge Bench comprising Chief Justice Y. K. Sabharwal, Justice C. K. Thakker and Justice R. V. Raveendran directed the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wild Life Warden of Madhya Pradesh to trans-locate the monkeys for proper rehabilitation after they were handed over by the Delhi Government.

The 300 monkeys captured under apex court directions have been kept in cages in the Rajakori area of Delhi for the past three years. The Bench directed the Centre to provide Rs.25 lakhs to the State to meet the expenses to be incurred in carrying out the rehabilitation process.

The Bench passed this order on a public interest petition filed by Geeta Sheshmani seeking rehabilitation and natural habitation for the captured monkeys. Earlier in April 2004 the Court had ordered that the monkeys be trans-located in the forest area of Madhya Pradesh within three weeks but the order was not complied with.

Counsel C. D. Singh appearing for the State Government submitted that shifting of the monkeys would be difficult in view of opposition by the local people. Also, trans-location or rehabilitation would be difficult as the monkeys were not habitual to forest life, accustomed as they were to living in cities. However, he agreed to abide by the Court order.

Earlier, the Centre informed the Court that it had identified six States -- Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh -- for trans-location of the monkeys. It said that to contain resistance from local residents on religious grounds while capturing the monkeys, an education campaign would be launched by the Delhi Government about ill effects of the presence of monkeys in human habitats.

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