Kochi: The Amicus Curiae appointed by the High Court on Tuesday recommended strict restrictions on elephant parading in the state. According to the report, elephants should only be used for religious ceremonies, not private events or inaugurations.

The pachyderm shall not be included in rituals like 'Thalapokkamalsaram' (competition to find the tallest elephant), 'Vanangal' (bowing) and 'Pushpavrishti' (showering flowers). The report also stated that elephants over 65 should not be used for parading and that a mandatory rest of 24 hours should be ensured between each ceremony.

Over a week ago, the High Court, while hearing a suo motu case on animal cruelty, remarked that parading elephants during festivals displayed human arrogance. "It is man's ego that he parades the idol of his Lord on top of the land's largest animal walking on the planet. Fortunately, whales do not live on land; otherwise, they too might have been paraded," the court commented.

The court stated that elephants must be given adequate rest periods between festivals and that there must be sufficient space inside the temples or venues where the elephants are paraded so that there is a minimum distance between them and no overcrowding.

The court also emphasised that elephants being paraded must receive a proper diet and that adequate facilities should be provided for them if they were to be paraded or exhibited, Live Law reported.

The court further stated that it is extreme cruelty to tie elephants' feet together tightly and force them to stand in one spot for exhibition purposes. “They are tied together so closely that they can't shift weight to the other leg. Can a human being whose feet are tied with anything stand for more than five minutes? Just imagine these huge elephants being made to stand for hours with both its front feet practically tied together," the court observed.

The division bench of Justice AK Jayasankaran Nambiar and Justice Gopinath P had directed all stakeholders, including elephant owners, NGOs and temple committees, to submit their suggestions before the court to frame guidelines before the next festival season.