Chief Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde told senior advocate Salman Khurshid in the Supreme Court on Wednesday that if humans and elephants can co-exist, that's "only because the elephant is a gentleman",
A member of the Congress party, Khurshid represented resort owners at a hearing dealing with encroachment in elephant corridors in different parts of India -- particularly Uttar Pradesh's Rajaji National Park. The case dates back to the mid-90s.
During the hearing, when Salman Khurshid told the court that humans and elephants could co-exist, Chief Justice SA Bobde replied, "That's only because the elephant is a gentleman." Then, he asked: "But what are you doing in the forest?"
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The chief justice said the court's view was that resorts can't be built in forests and elephant corridors. Salman Khurshid, defending his clients, said his clients wanted to protect routes used by elephants, but also said "certain replacements" should be given to those parting with the land.