Click to play videoNew Delhi: The Ministry of Environment and Forests has granted permission to park officials to put her to death Arundhati, the ailing elephant at Dehradun's Rajaji National Park.
A doctor will soon execute the orders. Eighty-year-old Arundhanti is fighting a losing battle against disease and age and had recently injured her foot.
Meanwhile, Rajesh Rastogi, a Haridwar-based lawyer, has approached the Chief Judicial Magistrate court for filing a murder case against forest minister Bansidhar Bhagat and other top officials of the forest department who have allegedly ordered the mercy killing of Arundhati.
The case is expected to come up hearing on Wednesday in the court of CJM Dhanjay Singh.
Rajaji Park officials, meanwhile, are determined to go ahead with their mercy killing plans.
"The decision for putting the elephant to sleep is final and it will be soon executed," PTI quoted Rajaji Park Director G S Pandey as saying.
Animal rights activists had put stiff resistance against the demand for mercy killing for her. They allege park authorities had not treated her properly.
Activists had also organised a candlelight march to protest against her proposed mercy killing.
Animal rights activist Maneka Gandhi says Arundhati should have been put to death weeks ago and that her painful death is completely unwarranted.
"They had given her antibiotics when she should have been given sodium which i had recommended but they left her for 20 days with gangrene in her feet. Then they claimed they don't have Rs 200 to get sodium at a time when they are busy celebrating animal week. There are no doctors for elephants in the whole of India," says Gandhi.
(With Agency inputs)
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