Poornima and Lakshmi had been rescued by animal rights activists after they were found to be used for begging by their mahouts. However, the issue of their custody had become problematic, with the Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park authorities citing inadequate resources and inability to maintain the elephants.

The court order said that since the elephant had been used in contravention of the Wildlife Protection Act, it becomes a property of the state.

Referring to the statement made by the Zoological Park authorities, Ansari said that although there may have been a pressure on the resources with two elephants, this would now be reduced since Lakshmi had already been handed over to the JDM.

“The State government should not shrink from its responsibility,” the order said.

“This is a major victory for us since we have been trying to get the elephant removed from the mahout’s custody for the past six months,” said People for Animals activist Manoj Oswal.

Meanwhile, advocate Sanjay Raut, who is representing the mahouts, said that they would file a revision plea in the Sessions Court once they were in possession of the mahout’s ownership documents.