MUMBAI, Oct. 24 -- In a significant step towards resolving the months-long dispute over the fate of 36-year-old elephant Mahadevi, popularly known as Madhuri, the Supreme Court's High-Powered Committee (HPC) on wildlife transfers has directed that all permissions required to set up a proposed satellite rehabilitation centre for the elephant at Nandani in Kolhapur district be completed within 20 days. The committee has fixed November 29 as the next date of hearing. The order, issued on Wednesday evening, comes over two months after Jamnagar-based animal rescue and conservation facility Vantara proposed to establish a special satellite centre in Nandani to house Madhuri in familiar surroundings, following widespread protests across Kolhapur demanding her return from Jamnagar. Madhuri, who has been suffering from arthritis, had been relocated in July from the Swastishri Jinsen Bhattarak Pattacharya Mahaswamy Sanstha at Nandani- where she had lived for over three decades- to Vantara, in compliance with court directions. Her transfer, however, triggered massive public outrage. During Wednesday's hearing, the HPC was apprised of the proposal and the ongoing discussions between Vantara, the mutt, and the state government. The committee directed that a joint medical inspection of Madhuri be carried out by veterinarians from the Jain shrine, PETA, and Vantara to assess her current health condition. The HPC also instructed that the process for obtaining all statutory clearances for the rehabilitation centre within 20 days. Saurabha Kulshreshtha...