Nainital: The Uttarakhand High Court has issued a number of directives for the safety of these animals, including asking the state government to blacklist equine handlers and owners on the Chardham Yatra route who inflict cruelty on animals, adding that merely fining them is not enough.
In response to a PIL alleging that horse and mule operators on the Yatra route often subject them to cruel treatment, including overworking or forcing them to carry more burden than their bearing capacity for commercial gain, the high court has ordered measures including setting up barricades to allow only registered operators, allowing animals to rest at night, and providing warm water and health check-ups before the start of the journey.
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"We are of the view that mere fining of the handlers or filing cases against them for inflicting cruelty to animals, is not sufficient to rein in and discipline the erring handlers/owners of equines," a bench of Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Rakesh Thapliyal said in its recent order.—Inputs from Agencies
