A notification issued by central government declaring monkey as vermin for the next six months in the jurisdiction of the Shimla MC has been challenged in the High Court. The government by declaring monkeys a vermin species have made provision to kill them.
Petitioner Rajeshwar Singh Negi has pleaded before the court that the main purpose of issuing the notification was given that monkeys pose a threat to people and damage their crops. The notification has been issued only for Shimla town, which has less agricultural area than the other parts of the state.
Negi asserts that the notice disregards a constitutional mandate about securing wild creatures and the environment besides saying that that right to life ensured by Article 21 of the Constitution of India extended to animals as well.
The petitioner maintains that killing monkeys for creating violence are not the solution, instead, any substantial scientific method can be used to deal with them. According to the applicant after this notification, anyone can kill monkeys anywhere in the city Shimla without official permission and that would result in a drastic decline in their strength.
The applicant has sought to repeal the notification by contending that the notification issued under the municipal law is incorrect and the notification of the Wildlife Protection Act is a clear violation of section 11-B.
……..a rookie journalist
