Joymala Case: Assam Govt Moves Court Against Tamil Nadu

GUWAHATI: Joymala, an elephant from Assam which is illegally kept in Srivilliputhur Nachiyar Thirukovil temple for over a decade now is becoming the reason for differences to form between the two states of Assam and Tamil Nadu.

A four-member team from Assam was sent to Tamil Nadu to bring back Joymala to Assam but the Tamil Nadu government did not allow the team to meet Joymala.

The Tamil Nadu forest department in a letter addressed to Assam Government said that Joymala is fine and Assam should not waste its time trying to meet her.

The four-member team is still in Chennai fighting for the custody of Joymala.

An official of the Assam government said in a statement that the government of Assam has decided to move the Gauhati High Court and accordingly sent a report stating all the details of the case to the Gauhati High Court.

The Tamil Nadu government also did not agree to sit in a discussion with the officials from Assam for the custody of Joymala.

The same official also said, " Joymala is ours and we are fighting for her, now that it is getting difficult as the Tamil Nadu government is adamant about not letting anyone from Assam meet Joymala, we have moved to the Honorable Gauhati High Court and let the law take its own turn".

According to reports, Joymala is in a very deplorable situation in the temple where she has to remain chained for 16 hours a day. She is also tortured with pliers and other such implements.

The Tamil Nadu government on the other hand filed an affidavit in Madras High Court in a case related to temple elephants and submitted recently that as many as 63 elephants from Assam and Arunachal Pradesh are in the custody of temples and individuals in the state. Out of them, 32 are with temple authority. The license of these elephants though is still with owners in Assam.

Also Read: Elephant smuggling racket thriving in Upper Assam forest

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