Summary
In 2018, a lawsuit was filed against the Union of India and others concerning the overloading of horse carts, which causes cruelty to the horses and pollutes the river water. The petitioner asked “that the entire animal kingdom may be conferred the status of legal entity/legal person.” The High Court of Uttarakhand ruled that “the entire animal kingdom including avian and aquatic are declared as legal entities having a distinct persona with corresponding rights, duties and liabilities of a living person” and “all the citizens throughout the State of Uttarakhand are hereby declared persons in loco parentis as the human face for the welfare/protection of animals.”
The high courts of India are the highest courts of jurisdiction in each state and union territory of India. All courts in India, including high courts, are bound by the judgements and orders of the Supreme Court of India.
Suggested Citation:
Kauffman, Craig, Catherine Haas, Alex Putzer, Shrishtee Bajpai, Kelsey Leonard, Elizabeth Macpherson, Pamela Martin, Alessandro Pelizzon & Linda Sheehan. Eco Jurisprudence Monitor. V2. 2026. Distributed by the Eco Jurisprudence Monitor. https://ecojurisprudence.org/initiatives/bhatt-v-union-of-india-and-others/.
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