From Nandani village to Vantara, elephant Madhuri's journey & why it's caught in a legal tangle
In a high-level meeting chaired by the CM with the stakeholders including the representatives of the Shri Jinsen Bhattarak Pattacharya Mahaswami Jain 'math' at Nandani village, he said the 'math' can file a review petition in the apex court, which the state government will back. On Wednesday, he met Vantara officials who also backed the state government. The Vantara Rehabilitation Centre is privately owned by the Ambani family.
Mumbai: An appeal may soon be filed in the Supreme Court to bring back Madhuri the elephant to the Jain 'math' in Nandani village. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has announced his support for efforts to bring back the elephant to Kolhapur from the Vantara wildlife rehabilitation centre in Gujarat.
'For the last 34 years, Mahadevi elephant has been living at the Nandani math and this is the public emotion. Considering the public emotion, the state government will file a review petition in the Supreme Court. Math should make the state government as 'intervener' in their review petition. At the same time, the forest department will present a detailed stand. The suggestions by the central forest department and HPC will be implemented in the meanwhile,' Fadnavis said.
CM further said that to take good care of Mahadevi, the state government will form a committee of doctors and provide all possible help to her. If need be, a rescue centre will also be built and all possible solutions will be provided, he added. In the review petition, the state government will request the apex court to form an independent committee to assess all of this, Fadnavis assured.
Madhuri, the 36-year-old elephant who lived in the Jain 'math' for three decades in Kolhapur was shifted to Vantara's Radhe Krishna Temple Elephant Welfare Trust last week, following a court ruling after concerns were raised by PETA over the elephant's physiological and psychological health.
However, villagers protested the Bombay HC ruling (which was upheld by the Supreme Court) and on 3 August, a 40 km long procession was taken out in Kolhapur. Pressure mounted on local BJP leaders, following which the chief minister decided to meet the stakeholders on Tuesday.
Congress leader and MLC Satej Patil who hails from Kolhapur told the media on Tuesday, 'The matter is now in Supreme Court and it is a technical matter so no option but to knock on the doors of the Supreme Court. We hope that state government will put up a positive case because the HPC (high powered committee) took the decision based on the report of the state forest department and based on the HPC report, the courts decided. So the state government's stand will be very important here. The ball now is in the SC, and only if the state government stands by us, we will get our elephant back.'
Another leader from Kolhapur who was at the forefront of the protests on Sunday, Raju Shetti, president, Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatan told the media after the meeting, 'We will wait for a few days for government action but let me tell you one thing, we are in this fight and we will not stop until we don't get back our elephant. In the meeting, through various documents, we have established how PETA has connived to send the elephant to Vantara.'
'We have reports showing Madhuri elephant is physically fit even after travelling 8 hours to Vantara, then how is she unfit in the videos shown by Vantara? How did she contract arthritis? The government should ask Vantara. Vantara and PETA—both these organisations are under reasonable doubt,' he added.
Vantara, meanwhile released a statement on its social media page saying that it holds the deepest respect for the emotions and spiritual sentiments surrounding Mahadevi.
'At no stage did Vantara initiate or recommend the relocation, nor was there any intent to interfere with religious practice or sentiment,' it said in the statement released on 5 August.
'We want to clearly and respectfully state that Vantara acted solely in compliance with binding orders of the honourable Bombay High Court, which were subsequently upheld by the honourable Supreme Court of India. We were not the initiators of this move, but the facility directed to carry out the court's decision and provide her with care… Together, we are exploring, through legal and veterinary guidance, all possibilities for Madhuri's future, including a peaceful resolution that prioritises both her wellbeing and feelings of the community.'
Also read: Kerala's love for elephants under scrutiny by courts & activists. 'Numbers dwindling, they're tortured'
Mahadevi aka Madhuri's story
The Jain Math in Nandani village in Shirol taluka of Kolhapur is around 1,300 years old and has a history of rearing elephants for the last 400-odd years, since the time of Emperor Akbar, 'math' members say.
Mahadevi aka Madhuri came to the 'math' in 1992, when the previous 'math' elephant passed away. She was merely 3-4 years old and about 5 feet tall when she was brought from Karnataka, said Shrenik Narde, member of the Hatti Bachao Kruti Samiti (Save elephant action committee). 'Math' functionaries told ThePrint that they have the certificate of ownership for Madhuri, which the Bombay High Court has accepted. (ThePrint has verified it with the court documents).
Since 1992, Madhuri had been an integral part of the village. She would often be the point of attraction for villagers, Narde said. 'This is not just about the elephant. She stayed with us for three decades, so by default this is sentimental for us. As children, we would often tell our grandfather to take us to the 'math' so that we could see the elephant. Madhuri would give us her blessings and we would give her food,' Narde said.
Madhuri has been a part of religious functions at the village and would be part part of processions on Chhatrapati Shiv Jayanti, Mahashivratri, etc. Not only Jains, but Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, Lingayats, and all other communities of the village would pay their respects to her, villagers say.
She would often be taken to the weekly bazaar of the village where she would be fed fruits and vegetables, and despite the large crowd, she would remain calm. Little children would play about her legs, but she would be unflustered.
She was also be medically inspected every 4-6 months.
'We are very attached to our pets like dogs, cats. She was like that for us. Her last day saw hundreds of people gather at the spot to bid her adieu. Even she was tearful and the authorities had trouble making her get up on the truck,' Narde said.
PETA and HPC involvement
According to Shirish Herwade, member, Jain 'math', PETA had approached the 'math' in 2020-21 asking them to send Mahadevi to the then upcoming facility at Vantara for rehabilitation.
'We held multiple meetings with them and every time they tried to convince us to send her to Vantara. But we refused. At one point, they even told us that they could help us construct a new facility for our 'math'. They offered us donation too, and even offered us a mechanical elephant that would move its trunk and make sounds for our religious functions, but we refused,' Herwade said.
Post that in 2023, PETA filed a complaint with the HPC regarding the condition of the elephant. 'PETA claimed that she was sick and not been properly taken care of. But some injuries and falling sick is very natural. Even we humans fall ill sometimes. But they filed a complaint with HPC,' said Herwade.
Responding to the allegations, PETA told ThePrint that it was the HPC's decision to send her to Vantara and the 'math' was given ample opportunity to present its case. 'Vantara can provide her extensive ponds, hydrotherapy and veterinary care by experts and caretakers who know how to deal with severely disturbed elephants, but most importantly, an elephant family she so desperately craves. PETA India are grateful that Madhuri is being given a chance at life after decades in solitary confinement. There are only two state-of-the-art elephant hospitals—the one at Wildlife SOS and the one at Vantara, with Vantara having more space and facilities,' said Khusboo Gupta, director of advocacy projects at PETA India.
PETA further said that Madhuri was not fully fit and her condition was not right, a charge, which was upheld by the HPC while presenting the case.
The 'math' petitioned the Bombay High Court in February 2024. The HPC visited the 'math' on 12 June 2024 and inspected the elephant. The evaluation report (as accessed by ThePrint) shows that the HPC checked Madhuri's physical health and found an infection on her foot, for which she was being treated. The report also remarked that she was taken to the nearby river for occasional bathing and was adequately fed. But it also remarked that 'she was solitary and no socialising was being carried out. The shelter is concrete floor and needs improvement'.
'It is suggested that a time frame of three months be given to the 'math' management and review the infrastructure and health condition before taking a final decision regarding shifting her to a better facility,' the report had assessed.
The 'math' management told ThePrint, that accordingly they had made improvements and on 29 September 2024, the forest department of Kolhapur visited the facility. In a letter dated 1 October 2024 (a copy of which ThePrint has access to), said that Madhuri would be taken to meet other 2 pet elephants in the district from that month every month for 3 to 4 days. The cement flooring was replaced by mud flooring, a 10,000 litre water tank was built for Madhuri, and she was being taken for 5-km walks.
'Her foot condition is also improving as compared to when she was last observed on June 2024 and she has been taken care of,' the Kolhapur forest department letter stated.
However, the state forest department letter dated November 2024, (ThePrint has accessed the copy) written to the HPC stated that, 'the 'math' has not submitted any report of the improvements made in the facilities as recommended by the sub-committee members of HPC.' But the state forest department put forth the observations made by the Kolhapur forest department in the letter and said that based on it further action could be taken by the HPC.
Based on the HPC's observation in December 2024, the HPC recommended the transfer of Madhuri to Vantara but the Bombay high Court in April 2025, considered it appropriate that the HPC again hear the math's side.
'Our point is why send her to Vantara when she could have been sent to any other government centre if at all. There are good facilities in Karnataka, Kerala, why to a private facility in Gujarat?' Narde asked.
Raju Shetti alleged that some elephants from the forest department were taken to Vantara last year and according to the information he has, those elephants were in poor health. He alleged that Vantara, HPC, and PETA are all hand in glove in this matter.
To this PETA cited an incident involving Madhuri where she had killed the head priest of the 'math' in 2017 allegedly due to solitary confinement. 'After Mahadevi killed the chief Swamiji of the 'math', former MP Raju Shetti wrote to the Maharashtra Forest Department in 2017, requesting that Mahadevi be kept in a zoo. In both 2021 and 2022, he supported efforts to provide Madhuri with comprehensive veterinary care and company of other elephants… He acknowledged that keeping her confined in the 'math' was harmful to both her welfare and public safety. In our meetings, he spoke passionately about the importance of elephants living in the wild, as nature intended,' Gupta said.
This charge was denied by the 'math' management.
Bombay High Court observations
Based on the December verdict of HPC, the 'math' once again went to the Bombay HC in February 2025. On the next hearing on June 3, 2025, when the HPC for the third time heard the 'math', it still recommended Madhuri's transfer to Vantara.
In its response to the court, PETA alleged that 'the 'math' has only a commercial interest in retaining custody of the elephant under a pretext of religious requirement. The pictures of the elephant being used in processions demonstrate that the elephant is forced into a crowded situation where she is tied with a rope around her belly, guarded by several Mahouts holding Ankush weapons and pulling her ears continuously amidst loudspeakers and humans sitting on a heavy howdah kept on her, despite her foot rot and arthritic condition.'
In its final order, the Bombay High Court noted that the HPC had meticulously analysed the elephant and the effects of confinement in a religious setting.
'In our view, the argument of the elephant's convalescence and that her condition is now improving has no strength and does not further the case of the Petitioner. In fact this argument is quite counterproductive inasmuch as it establishes the fact that the elephant suffered injuries while being under the 'care' and custody of the Petitioner, the 'math'. We are definitely not impressed by this argument,' the court said. There is no explanation as to what caused the injury and efforts made by the 'math' are too little.
The court while giving its order also said that the HPC in fact means well. Hence they ordered the transfer of the elephant.
Jio boycotted by villagers
But this did not go down well with the villagers who then started boycotting Jio and Reliance in protest. Shetti said, 'Our boycott of Jio and Reliance will continue and we will not take it back. In fact this will now grow. We will go to Karnataka, MP, if need be.'
Meanwhile, Vantara released a video on its Instagram page suggesting that Madhuri's health was improving and she was freely roaming around in the forest.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
Also read: India has elephants, China doesn't. Credit goes to ancient India's land ethics
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