The Delhi HC noted the immuno-contraceptive vaccine imported to sterilise monkeys in the capital was primarily used on horses. (File)
Noting that the immuno-contraceptive vaccine imported to sterilise monkeys in the capital was primarily used on horses, and have not been used on simians anywhere in the world, the Delhi High Court directed the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) to get requisite permission from authorities within three days for testing the same.
Rapping the Central government and WII, a bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar said, “We will tell the monkeys not to procreate and not bite people as the authorities are awaiting permission for trial on you.” It added, “Why the same (vaccine) was imported, without permission from the authorities… if the same was not allowed? Do you know how much public money will be wasted… Till the time authorities get order, we will give injunction to monkeys to not increase their population.”
The bench also directed the central agencies, which have to give permission for testing on the simians, to process the application in four weeks. The directions after issue after the bench was informed that the oral vaccine awaits testing on the simians as it was imported from America without requisite approval from the ministries for carrying out sterilisation trials.
It also pulled up the Centre and WII, saying they took six months to import this vaccine and now need more time for testing. “This writ petition has been pending since 2001… to deal with menace of monkeys. In Delhi alone, the population of monkeys is not manageable. Their growth is such that in some states, farmers have stopped farming. This is not at all tolerable… We are chasing this issue for the last eight hearings; it means six months. The authorities concerned have not been able to find a way to sterilise monkeys,” the bench observed.
It also directed the Delhi government and a committee set up on the court’s order to give a timeline on executing the action plan to control simian population.
The court made the observation while hearing a PIL filed through advocate Meera Bhatia, seeking directions to authorities to take steps to deal with the monkey and dog menace in the capital.