Tripura News
Home > Tripura News
Gomati District Administration ignores High Court order’s implementation, Bali (Animal Sacrifice) continues in Matabari
TIWN Sep 29, 2019
TIWN Sep 29, 2019
PHOTO : Today morning picture at Matabari : Pic courtesy Prantosh Debnath
AGARTALA, Sep 29 (TIWN): In a contempt of High Court Order, Animal Sacrifice continued in Matabari even on Sunday. ‘Bali’, that is the animal sacrifice even after High Court of Tripura put a ban on it, the District administration has ignored the order.
The order was passed by High Court on Sep 27 banning all animal sacrifices but even after 2 days of the order the animal sacrifice has been continuing in this temple. However, this is contempt of court committed by the District Magistrate/ SDM.
On yesterday night also buffalo was sacrificed to mark Mahalaya.
While banning the animal sacrifice High Court said on Sep 24, "Sacrifice of an animal in a temple, not being an essential part of religion, is also violative of Article 21 of the Constitution of India."
According Live Law news the Tripura High Court has, in an important judgment delivered on Friday, banned animal/birds sacrifice in the temples of the state observing that the animals also have fundamental right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution of India.
No person including the State shall be allowed to sacrifice of any animal/bird within the precincts of any one of the temples within the State of Tripura, declared the bench comprising of the Chief Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice Arindam Lodh. It said that the sacrifice of an animal in a temple, not being an essential part of religion, is also violative of Article 21 of the Constitution of India.
The PIL and State's Defence Of 'Religion'
The bench issued these directives while allowing a Public Interest Litigation filed by a retired judicial officer, Subhas Bhattacharjee, against the practice of sacrifice of innocent animals, on the basis of a superstition, before the Goddess and other Gods & Goddesses and in particular, at two main temples i.e. Mata Tripureswari Devi Temple and Chatur Das Devata Temple.
It was submitted before the court that, at Mata Tripureswari Devi Temple, under the patronage of district administration, Government of Tripura, every day one goat is being sacrificed and on special occasions, substantial number of animals are being sacrificed as Bali (offering to the Goddess) by general public.
Another interesting contention adopted by the state was that the petitioner confined the issue of animal sacrifice only with regard to Hindu religion and not laid any challenge to the practice of animal sacrifice carried out by the Muslim community during their festival of "Bakri Eid‟ and that petition has been filed ―only to disturb the Hindu sentiment and presumably by anti Hindu elements with a view to disturb public order and as such is politically motivated.
Referring to a Merger Agreement entered between Maharaja and Indian Dominion, the state submitted that it prescribed that the State Government would worship Mata Tripureswari and other temples, in a traditional system. Since such practice was followed prior to the independence, from the regime of the Maharaja, that domestic animal sacrifice during worship, being an integral part of the worship and as such, is still continued and cannot be stopped, the state said.
Action of the State in offering such an animal for sacrifice is not permissible
Allowing the PIL, the bench held that the act of the State of offering one goat every day, for a sacrifice in the Mata Tripureswari temple and other temples on certain occasions, lacks the essence of economic, commercial, political or secular character and hence, the action of the State in offering such an animal for sacrifice is neither permissible under the Indian Constitution nor any statute.
It must be mentioned here that ‘Bali’ is not just an animal sacrifice practiced in the temples but an indirect business of a certain section of Matabari staffs are allegedly involved with this “Bali”, just like other items as “Saree” which are offered to Goddess Tripura Sundari but never distributed to poor people. It is an open secret that each goat’s heads at Matabari are also sold after killing, even the “pedas” which was kept from the devotees are sold back to the shops. The Matabari priests by-force take money as “Dakshina” and till day Govt could not appoint a non-Brahmin priest although under SC’s order in 2015 any well learnt person can be appointed as the priest.
Add your Comment
Comments (0)
More Tripura News
Special Articles
Sanjay Majumder
Anirban Mitra