Tripura: High Court's ban on animal sacrifice draws mixed response

The Tripura High Court's order to ban the tradition of animal sacrifice in temples has drawn a mixed response from people in the state.

The High Court had on Friday ordered a ban on the tradition of animal sacrifice in temples in response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Subhash Bhattacharjee, a retired judge.

Court's Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjoy Karol and Justice Arindam Lodh gave the verdict, "no person including the state shall be allowed to sacrifice any animal/bird within the precincts of any one of the temples within the State of Tripura..."

While most of the people have welcomed the judgment, some have raised questions over the issue.

Tripura royal scion and former state Congress president, Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarman, who declared himself as an animal lover, welcomed the judgment but viewed that the High Court has overruled the provision of the merger agreement that was signed between Maharani Kanchan Prabha Devi and the Governor-General of India on October 15, 1949.

Debbarman said that the court cannot overrule the merger agreement where it clearly said that it has to be done in the House of Parliament as per the provision and agreement signed between the then 'Maharani' ahead of the merger.

He further argued that if the court has banned animal sacrifice in temples, then it should also ban animal sacrifice during Eid.

Head of the Agartala Ramakrishna Mission, Hitakamanandaji Maharaj also viewed that the court should keep away from this.

On the other hand, most of the people including Subhash Bhattacharjee, who filed the PIL viewed that the practice of animal and bird sacrifice in temples was very disturbing to all and in fact, makes unholy the place of God with bloodshed, therefore such a judgment should be welcomed.