SC panel asked to consider rehabilitation of nine Assam elephants held in Tamil Nadu

The Gauhati High Court has asked a Supreme Court-appointed High-Powered Committee (HPC) to consider the rehabilitation of nine elephants from Assam allegedly kept illegally in Tamil Nadu.

The High Court has also directed the Tamil Nadu government to conduct monthly inspections at the facilities where the nine elephants are kept and, pending the HPC’s final adjudication, seize and rehabilitate the elephants lacking nutrition and other requirements.

Viral video of cruelty

The August 18 order of Justice Devashis Baruah, released on Monday (August 31, 2026), was based on the Assam government’s September 2022 petition, which sought the release of an elephant named Joymala, also known as Jeymalyatha, after videos of her being beaten went viral.

Leased out by Assam for three years in 2011, the elephant remains in the custody of the Srivilliputhur Nachiyar Thirukovil temple in Tamil Nadu. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals India (PETA India) was impleaded as a respondent in the case, urging that Joymala be rehabilitated at a sanctuary where she can spend her life free of chains and in the company of other elephants.

PETA India also urged the High Court to refer the case to the HPC, headed by retired Justice Deepak Verma, to adjudicate issues such as ownership, transfer, and rehabilitation of captive elephants. The animal rights organisation also sought similar relief for eight other elephants from Assam whose periods of temporary transfer to Tamil Nadu had expired.

The High Court noted that the case had its genesis in allegations of Joymala’s torture at the Tamil Nadu temple, which PETA India had brought to light. Asking the HPC to let PETA India give their point of view, the court observed that the temple’s stand reduced Joymala to a “movable object and did not appear to be genuinely in the interest of the elephant”.

“The use of live elephants at temples when mechanical alternatives have been widely accepted is unnecessary, dangerous, and outdated. We hope that the HPC will expeditiously order the rehabilitation of all nine elephants to sanctuaries where they can live free of chains and weapons,” PETA India’s vice president of policy Khushboo Gupta said.

Pliers used for torture

Assam has been demanding Joymala’s return since 2021. A 2022 inspection at the temple where Joymala is kept revealed that the cruelty to the elephant was so regular that her mahout used pliers to painfully twist her skin to control her, even in front of PETA India inspectors.

In March 2025, after reviewing videos and other documentation about Joymala’s plight, more than 50 veterinarians from different parts of the country signed a petition for her rescue, which PETA India sent to relevant authorities in Assam and Tamil Nadu.