Supreme Court Judges Launch NALSA Scheme For Victims Of Human -Wildlife Conflict

The two-day Regional Conference on Human -Wildlife Conflict & Co-Existence organized by the Kerala State Legal Services Authority (KeLSA) under the aegis of the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) has commenced today with an inaugural session at the Sankaranarayanan Thampi Hall, Thiruvananthapuram.

The event was attended by judges from the Supreme Court, the High Courts of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana, and other dignitaries.

Justice M.M. Sundaresh, Justice B.V. Nagarathna, Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Surya Kant of the Supreme Court of India delivered speeches during the event.

During the inaugural session, Justice M.M. Sundresh spoke about the duty of every individual to protect nature. “It is the bounden duty of every individual to protect nature and share the entire world along with its resources with every other living being,” he said

Highlighting that the human-animal conflict is as a result of thirst for development restricted only to man, the judge said, “They (animals) don't have a concept of property. They don't have a concept of understanding things as we perceive it to be.”

Before closing his speech, he made us introspect about human actions with a quote: “If animals could have a religion, man would be the devil. Being the devil we are, gathered here today to do our bid to remedy the situation.”

Justice B.V. Nagarathna drew the attention of the audience to an incident that happened in Mangalore when a leopard and a dog got locked into a toilet for a night without harming each other. This incident, she said, teaches us that animals are situation-aware and emotional beings in many ways.

The judge also mentioned how the elements of nature teaches us and shapes our personalities. She said, “Earth teaches us patience and love; air teaches us mobility and liberty; fire teaches us warmth, courage; sky teaches us equality, broadmindness; water teaches us purity, cleanliness. the idea behind this is that we are all a part of nature, man is not apart from nature.”

She also highlighted the importance of having an eco-centric approach as opposed to a humancentric approach while resolving these conflicts. On an ending note, the judge impressed about the importance of taking into consideration the privacy and wellbeing of local people, especially women.

Justice Vikram Nath, on a lighter note, mentioned that he has been receiving well wishes and blessings ever since he started heading a bench hearing matters on the stray dog issues in Delhi. He said, “I am also been receiving messages saying that apart from dog lovers, dogs are also giving me blessings and good wishes. In addition to human blessings and good wishes, I have their good wishes also.”

Impressing upon us the weight of our choices, the judge remarked, “The topic of the conference centers around conflict and co-existence. These are not opposites, they are two possibilities that arises from the choices we make.”

Justice Surya Kant, Executive Chairman of NALSA, gave an introduction to the two schemes launched during the event.

Reminding us of our rich tradition and compassion towards nature, which is embedded in the Constitution as well, the judge noted, “Reverence for nature and the duty to protect it is deeply into the fabric of Indian tradition and culture. Justice cannot be permitted to operate selectively, neither in its substance nor its application.”

Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar, Justice A. Muhammed Mustaque and Justice C.S. Dias  of the Kerala High Court also addressed the gathering. Minister of Law of Kerala, P. Rajeev and Attorney General for India R. Venkataramani spoke during the event as well.