A Division Bench of the Kerala High Court on Monday slammed the Malappuram District Collector for not filing a comprehensive report as directed by the court on an incident in which around 29 people were injured and one died when an elephant ran amok during the BP Angadi Nercha at Tirur on January 7.

When the suo motu case relating to the parading of elephants came up for hearing, the Government Pleader submitted that as instructions given by the Collector were lacking in material particulars, he had sought a clarification for filing a report.

“We find that the District Collector has not appreciated the seriousness of the issue,” the Bench of Justice A.K. Jayasankaran Nambiar and Justice Gopinath P. observed

The court also said that “the response of the District Collector leaves much to be desired and his conduct will not be tolerated by the court, especially when the response was sought in the wake of the Tirur incident.” The court directed the Collector to ensure that the report is filed before it without delay.

The court also directed the Chief Wildlife Warden to ensure that the survey of captive elephants in the possession of private individuals and institutions in each district is commenced forthwith and the exercise is completed on or before February 15. The court noted that the survey would enable the authorities to ascertain the ownership of captive elephants in the State which was a prerequisite for granting permission for parading elephants in temple festivals.