Kerala High Court bars extending Supreme Court's elephant registration deadline

The High Court dismissed the petition, holding that the deadline cannot be extended by the High Court or the Government.

Who it concerns: Petitioners: Ravi E (Trustee) and K. T. Keshavankutty (President) of Sree Manathala Shiva-Parvathi Temple; Respondents: State of Kerala (Forest and Wildlife Department), Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Additional Chief Conservator of Forests, Assistant Conservator of Forests, and the District Committee under the Kerala Captive Elephant Rules; Bench: Justice Bechu Kurian Thomas of the High Court of Kerala.

What the court decided

• The Court dismissed the writ petition.
• The Court held that the six-week registration timeline fixed by the Supreme Court in Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre v. Union of India cannot be extended by the High Court or the Government.
• The Court declined to direct the registration of the temple or the consideration of the petitioners' application to extend the time, citing the binding nature of the Supreme Court's direction.

Also in the document

• The judgment was delivered on the same day the matter was finally heard (12.10.2026).
• The Court noted that while the Government had previously issued an order extending the timeline, that specific order was not challenged in this petition, so its correctness was not examined.
• The Court observed that directing delayed registration would serve no purpose given the Supreme Court's categorical observation on the timeline.