The bench’s direction came after it found that the ministry concerned did not mention in its affidavit the action taken against the veterinary officer despite the court’s direction. The Delhi High Court Thursday sought to know from the Centre what action it has taken against an officer accused of tampering with documents and post-mortem reports related to deaths of several animals at the Delhi zoo. A bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V K Rao directed the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change to file a status report on the steps being taken against the zoo, which allegedly tried to hush up animal deaths by submitting inaccurate inventory reports and fabricated autopsy reports. The zoo is under the scanner of the Central Zoo Authority (CZA), a statutory body under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, for reportedly fudging the number of animal deaths in its annual inventory report. The bench’s direction came after it found that the ministry concerned did not mention in its affidavit the action taken against the veterinary officer — named by the zoo director for tampering with official documents — despite the court’s direction. It sought to know the action taken against the officer, to which the counsel for the central government sought time. The court listed the matter for hearing on November 13, asking the ministry concerned to present a detailed affidavit before it. The court had earlier asked the zoo director to preserve the documents, after it was informed through a PIL by animal rights activist Gauri Maulekhi that the reports had gone missing five days after the court, on May 25, had sought the zoo’s stand on a PIL alleging “rampant irregularities and illegalities” in the running of the zoo.