KOCHI: The

on Monday 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.

A division bench comprising justices

and Shaji P Chaly, while allowing the plea, also noted that the lockdown has shown that the high court cannot remain shut. “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,” the judgment said while stating that it is today called to respond to the desperate purrs of three felines.

The court then 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. 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.

The court, which is considering only urgent cases, said that it is happy to have come to the aid of the felines. “We are also certain that our directions will help avert a ‘CATastrophe’ in the petitioner’s home,” the court said in the judgment, in a lighter vein.

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. The court allowed the petition after taking note of the submission of the additional AG.

Prakash had stated in his plea that police denied permission when an affidavit was fled through the e-pass system recently introduced by

to manage issuing of affidavits and passes required for venturing out during COVID-19 Lockdown.

In 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. As he is a vegetarian, non-vegetarian food is not cooked at his house, the petition had said. He used to buy cat food from a nearby pet hospital but it is not open due to the lockdown, it was alleged.