Supreme Court rejects PETA's plea; temple elephant Mahadevi stays at Kolhapur's Nandani Math
Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Vinod Chandran dismissed PETA India's plea to send the elephant, known as Madhuri, back to Vantara in Jamnagar, and fined PETA ₹25,000 to be spent on her medical care.
- ETV Bharat
Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Vinod Chandran dismissed PETA India's plea to send the elephant, known as Madhuri, back to Vantara in Jamnagar, and fined PETA ₹25,000 to be spent on her medical care. She had been moved to Vantara in August 2025, which led to protests and shutdowns in Kolhapur.
A Supreme Court-appointed committee had cleared her return in September 2026.
Key data
She came to the Math from Karnataka in 1992. The Math reports a daily walk of 5 to 10 km, fortnightly check-ups and a planned 4-acre rehabilitation facility.
Why it matters
The case weighs a math's ritual tradition against animal-welfare claims and will matter for captive temple elephants across the country.
GK: did you know?
Bhaṭṭāraka is the title held by heads of Digambara Jain institutional seats, such as the Jinasena Bhaṭṭāraka seat at Nandani.
