Form panel to stop animal cruelty during Char Dham Yatra: HC

Dehradun: Uttarakhand high court has directed the formation of an 18-member committee to stop alleged animal cruelty and mismanagement at Char Dham pilgrimage sites. The bench of Chief Justice Manoj Kumar Gupta and Justice Subhash Upadhyay issued the order while hearing public interest litigations filed by animal rights activist Gauri Maulekhi, religious leader Ajay Gautam and environmentalist Narayan Sharma, among others. The next hearing has been scheduled three weeks later.The panel, chaired by the Garhwal commissioner, will include officials from the animal husbandry department, district magistrates, district panchayat representatives and Maulekhi. The bench directed the commissioner to convene a meeting within two weeks to address all relevant issues, including steps to reduce animal cruelty, noting that the Yatra is scheduled to begin in the third week of April. Gautam told TOI, "We have prayed before the court that the entire Yatra be monitored through CCTVs."Petitioners said that despite state govt framing SOPs, their implementation remains inadequate. They urged the court to establish a monitoring mechanism to ensure compliance and to improve safety and medical facilities for both animals and pilgrims. "We highlighted cruelty meted out to equines used to carry pilgrims, tourists and goods in hilly terrains across Chamoli, Rudraprayag and Uttarkashi. These animals are often given intoxicants, subjected to overwork and face a very high mortality rate," Gautam said.Petitioners also raised concerns that carcasses of these animals are often dumped down slopes and into rivers, contributing to significant environmental pollution. The court was informed that the increasing number of pilgrims during the Char Dham Yatra has strained resources, leading to issues related to food, shelter and overall management, while exacerbating environmental stress. They emphasised regulating the number of pilgrims and pack animals as per the region's carrying capacity.Reports indicate that mules deployed for the Kedarnath Yatra have long endured excessive workloads, frequent injuries and high mortality rates, with over 100 deaths recorded annually in recent years. In early 2025, at least 20 mules died in the initial weeks of the pilgrimage season, prompting the authorities to temporarily suspend such services. Investigation suggested equine influenza—a rapidly spreading disease among horses and mules—may have caused most of the deaths.