The recent view from the Supreme Court of India that it would not ban halal slaughter has several connotations for people who understand the issue. The Supreme Court not just dismissed the petition seeking ban on Halal slaughter but also called it mischievous act by an organisation, Akhand Bharat Morcha which had filed the petition. Nonetheless, the organization had challenged Section 28 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act which provides protection to various forms of killing of animals, including Halal.

Why such a double standard against Hindus?

 The fact is that Halal has been banned in several European countries as it is the cruelest farm of animal slaughter. Even for a moment we can consider the Supreme Court does not want to interfere in the religious affairs of the followers of a religion then why the same institution becomes so vocal when it comes to the practices of Hindus. In fact, Tripura & Odissa High Courts banned animal slaughter in temples & Hindu festivals.

In one such judgment the High Court’s Division Bench comprising of Chief Justice Sanjoy Karol and justice Arindam Lodh gave the verdict in response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Subhash Bhattacharjee. The judges had concluded that 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.

The judgment came against the argument that animal sacrifice practice was a part of the long accepted procedure of Hindu rituals of the Tantrik method of worship of the Dash Maha Vidya.

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