The Delhi High Court issued notice to Centre, Delhi Govt and others concerned on a petition seeking the release and rehabilitation of Shankar, the lone African elephant in the National Zoological Park (NZP).

A division bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh asked the Centre, Delhi govt, the NZP and CZA to respond to the petition and listed the matter for the next hearing on March 9, 2022. Youth For Animals (YFA), through its 16-year old founder Nikita Dhawan, has filed a petition in the high court of Delhi seeking the release and rehabilitation of Shankar, the lone African elephant in the National Zoological Park (NZP) citing the 2009 circular issued by the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) which had banned exhibition of elephants in zoos, as well as the CZA guidelines which prohibit an elephant to be held solitary for over six months.