Tripura govt to challenge High Court's ban on animal sacrifice

On Monday the Minister of Law of Tripura, Ratan Lal Nath said that the state government will file an appeal in the Supreme court against the order of high court to ban animal sacrifices in temples.

"The matter is very sensitive and already there is a pending case on the same issue in the top court of Himachal Pradesh so all aspects should be taken into consideration before coming to any decision on it," Nath told media at state's Civil Secretariat.

He added that during the merger of Tripura with India in 1949, it was agreed that the then practises in the temples including sacrifices of mals will continue.

The Law Minister further outlined that the high court's decision has received mixed response from the society and some people are of the view that "court has no right to interfere in their belief".

Emphasising on Article 25 (1) of the Constitution which guarantees religious freedom of individuals, the minister said, "Religion is a personal issue. Hindus have 33 crore deities and it is a personal matter of a person if he believes in sacrificing an mal or want to practice it or not."

On Septemeber 27, the high court had ordered a ban on the tradition of mal 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 shall be allowed to sacrifice any mal/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.Former state Congress president, Pradyot Kishore Mkya Debbarman, who declared himself as an mal lover, welcomed the judgment but viewed that the High Court has overruled the provision of the merger agreement that was signed between Mahar Kanchan Prabha Devi and the Governor-General of India on October 15, 1949.

( With inputs from ANI )