Religious Practises In East India Differ From Those In North India, Cannot Be Restricted: Calcutta High Court On Plea To Curb Animal Sacrifice

A Calcutta High Court vacation bench has remarked that since religious practices in East India differ from those in North India, it would not be realistic to call for a restriction of practices which may have formed an "essential religious practice" for many communities.

A division bench of Justices Biswajit Basu and Ajay Kumar Gupta was hearing a continuing plea by the Akhil Bharatiya Go Sevak Sangh, seeking to curb the sacrifice of animals at Kolkata's Bolla Kali Temple on the occasion of "Bolla Kali Puja."

Last year, a division bench presided over by Chief Justice TS Sivagananam had also been approached by the present organisation to prohibit the alleged slaughter of 10,000 goats on the occasion of Bolla Kali Puja.

On that occasion, the bench had denied any interim relief to stop the animal sacrifice from taking place. However, the bench did agree to consider the larger question of the validity of animal sacrifice in West Bengal.

At the present hearing, the petitioners had again sought urgent relief to prevent the sacrifice of the animals which is slated to take place on Friday.

However, the Bench noted that despite the submissions that the animal sacrifice was not an essential religious practise, what constitutes an essential practice would greatly differ between North India and East India.

"It is in controversy whether mythical characters were really vegetarian or non vegetarian," the Bench remarked.

Observing that such a blanket restriction cannot be ordered due to impossibility of implementation and without a clear case made out by the petitioners, the bench declined interim relief and listed the matter for hearing before the regular bench.