Supreme Court hears a PIL seeking release of... ... LiveLaw Breaking News Alerts: 18 August 2026

Supreme Court hears a PIL seeking release of captive elephants and their rehabilitation

Sr Adv Aparna Bhat: Challenge to the amendment is pending before High Court. 200 elephants died in kerala alone. As per a 2018 census, there were 2675 captive elephants (highest in Assam and kerala). Govt has developed Gajah app. Many didn’t have any paper to show how they came to possess the elephant

We pray for order that no new elephant to be brought into captivity. They are wild animals. Illegally being trafficked. They are being used for religious and commercial purposes, and begging. Only 4 rehabilitation centres in the country – Mathura, Karnataka, Gujarat (private) and Kerala

We also seek new census, they may answer how many registered in Gajah app and what steps taken for rehabilitation.