Tripura High Court bans animal sacrifice; receives mixed responses

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 court had, on Friday, declared a ban on the age-old tradition. The order came as a response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Subhash Bhattacharjee who is a retired judge.

Disturbing to all

The PIL said that the practice of animal and bird sacrifice in temples was very disturbing to all and in fact, makes the place of God unholy with bloodshed.  While most of the people have welcomed the judgment, there also have been questions coming in from some.

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The bench that delivered the verdict that said, "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...", included Chief Justice Sanjoy Karol and Justice Arindam Lodh. 

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Some feel that the court should not intervene

Tripura royal scion and former state Congress president, Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarman, being an animal lover, welcomed the judgement. However, he also added 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.

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He said that that the agreement clearly said that the move has to be done in the House of Parliament as per the provision and agreement signed between the then 'Maharani' ahead of the merger. The court is not supposed to overrule it. He also went on to argue that the decision cannot be partial and that if the court has banned animal sacrifice in temples, then it should also ban animal sacrifice during Eid.

Meanwhile, the head of the Agartala Ramakrishna Mission, Hitakamanandaji Maharaj also said that the court should keep away from this. But on the other hand, most of the general public has been positively inclined towards the move.

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(With ANI Inputs)