The Madurai Bench comprising Justice R S Ramanathan while disposing of the petition filed by Shaji of Kollam district, imposed the condition that he should cooperate with police and the owner in the probe regarding the elephant's whereabouts, which he had reportedly taken for training for a fee of Rs one lakh.
The petitioner said police had filed cases against him for intimidating and cheating the owner of the elephant L Indhira.
He claimed he did not take the elephant for training but the complainant had sold the elephant to him for Rs five lakh and another elephant in exchange.
The elephant was not a stolen property, he submitted.
According to the police FIR, Indhira had brought the elephant worth Rs 12 lakh from Andaman and Nicobar islands. It was handed over to Shaji as he claimed he was an expert trainer.
In a separate petition in the Judicial Magistrate court, Indhira had sought a direction to prosecute both Shaji and another person for cheating her and directing police to trace her elephant and hand it back to her.
