Race horses hit legal tangle at IGI

New Delhi: Three Austrian horses, each costing around R70 lakh are locked up in a corner of IGI Airport’s cargo terminal for the past three months as the young racer who had bought them and the authorities are involved in a court battle over the horses’ entry permits to India.
The adult black horses of Hanoverian breed, a favourite with racers, were imported by Arjun Sahlot, a Saket resident on September 8, 2010. But quarantine officials refused to let them in due to non-compliance of import license, quarantine regulations and confusion over their place of origin and ordered their deportation.
As Sahlot lost two rounds in the Delhi High Court, the animals continued in lock up. The court endorsed the Quarantine Office’s decision.
BL Wali, the lawyer representing the Celebi Delhi Cargo Management, which runs the cargo terminal, says, “These poor animals are alien to Indian environs. We have provided a cooler and a shade. But are unable to provide proper medical facility and expert care”.
“We have urged the court to direct the authorities to deport them. Despite orders to this effect three months back, nothing has been done,” he said.
Wali said the horses, imported without proper health documents, were also a risk to the other livestock. The court had ruled that strict compliance with quarantine rules was non-negotiable as horses imported from Austria were prone to communicable diseases.
06/12/10 Harish V Nair/Hindustan Times

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Categories: Airports Dec 2010, Foreign Dec 2010