The petitioner wanted to symbolically submit a petition to a buffalo. (Representational)
The Madras High Court has held that even for illustrative purpose no animals should be subjected to any kind of torture.
Justice N Sathish Kumar made an observation to this effect, while rejecting a plea from a petitioner from Villupuram district, who wanted to highlight that the authorities are dead slow or inactive to take action on his complaint against land encroachment/disputes.
K Murthu had filed the petition to quash an order of the inspector attached to Thiruvennainallur police station dated August 11 this year, which refused permission to hold the dharna of symbolically submitting a petition to a buffalo, as there was no action on his representations dated August 6 and 11, this year.
The judge said at the outset that he is of the view that to make such democratic protest, animals need not be subjected to cruelty. Hence, the prayer as sought for by the petitioner to take buffalo or any other animal and keep them from morning to evening cannot be permitted. Such an act itself would amount to cruelty of the animals and violation of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, the judge said and rejected petitioner's plea.
The petitioner, however, modified his prayer. He may be permitted to hold the democratic protest without any animal being involved in the protest, he said.
The judge directed the local police to consider his plea and grant permission to hold the agitation in the place earmarked by the police with all usual conditions.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)