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The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued notice on a plea raising the issue of an alarming rise in the number of unnatural elephant deaths, alleging that the same is primarily due to electrocution.

A bench of Chief Justice of India NV Ramana, Justice Surya Kant and Justice Hima Kohli were hearing the Public Interest Litigation filed by Prerna Singh Bindra through Advocate Abhikalp Pratap Singh.

The petition has been filed stating that,

"The horrific scale of the problem has been recognised by expert bodies set up by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) itself, such as the Elephant Task Force’s 2010 report ‘Gajah’, which identified the death of elephants in incidents of deliberate and accidental electrocution as “one of the most common causes of elephant deaths in India”.

It has alleged that the Central and State Governments in "not implementing statutory mandates and various guidelines and recommendations of their own expert bodies and committees, as well as orders passed by this Hon’ble Court from time to time, has led to the continuing and increasing deaths of wild elephants due to electrocution."

"In doing this, the Respondents have collectively failed in their obligations and duties of the protection of wildlife," the petitioner added.

Whereas, it has been submitted that "the future of the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) – which is an ‘Endangered’ species protected under Schedule I of the Wild Life Protection Act, 1972 and was declared the National Heritage Animal in 2010 – looks uncertain and bleak in India."

In furtherance to this, it has been submitted that the problem of elephant deaths due to electrocution needs urgent intervention of the Court, lest, the consequences may prove to be disastrous for the environment and ”may precipitate the extinction of the Asian elephant.

The plea has sought for effective implementation of the relevant recommendations of the ‘Gajah’ report of 2010 and insulation of high voltage power transmission lines passing through Protected Areas (Wildlife Sanctuaries, National Parks, Community Reserves and Conservation Reserves), Elephant Reserves, identified Elephant Corridors and known areas of elephant movement

Case Title: Prerna Singh Bindra and Ors. Vs. Union of India and Ors.