#Lockdown: Kerala HC Allows Cat Owner To Travel For Buying Cat Food; Avoids ‘CATastrophe’!

On Monday, the Kerala high court avoided a ‘CATastrophe’ at the home of a cat owner by allowing his plea to go out during COVID-19 lockdown to buy pet food.

How Did This Happen?

As per the reports, a division bench comprising justices AK Jayasankaran Nambiar and Shaji P Chaly, while allowing the plea, also noted that the lockdown has shown that the high court cannot remain shut. 

The judgment said, “The enforcement of a lockdown period, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, has brought with it a fair share of litigation before this court, reminding us, once again, that there can never be a lockdown of the judicial institution, and that its doors must always be opened to the knocks of the hapless citizens,” while stating that it is today called to respond to the desperate purrs of three felines.

What Did The High Court Say?

Apparently, the court allowed N Prakash of Ayini Nada Road at Maradu in Kochi to travel to the pet shop at Kadavanthra so as to buy food for the three cats at his home during a hearing held through videoconferencing. 

For doing this, the petitioner can carry an affidavit required during travel during the lockdown and a copy of the judgment for hassle-free travel, the court directed.

Further, the court, which is considering only urgent cases, said that it is happy to have come to the aid of the felines. 

The court said in the judgment, in a lighter vein “We are also certain that our directions will help avert a ‘CATastrophe’ in the petitioner’s home,”.

How To Do It?

Moreover, during the hearing, additional advocate general Ranjith Thampan submitted that animal feed and fodder are included in the list of essential items and that the petitioner can go out to procure animal feed by carrying a self-declaration. 

After taking note of the submission of the additional AG, the court allowed the petition.

In this, Prakash had stated in his plea that police denied permission when an affidavit was filed through the e-pass system recently introduced by Kerala Police to manage issuing of affidavits and passes required for venturing out during COVID-19 Lockdown.

According to his plea, the cat owner had said the cat food named Meo-Persian is available at a pet hospital at Kadavanthra, which is around 7km from the petitioner’s residence. 

Also, he mentioned that he is a vegetarian, non-vegetarian food is not cooked at his house, the petition had said. 

Earlier, he used to buy cat food from a nearby pet hospital but it is not open due to the lockdown, it was alleged.

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