In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the High Court has dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition seeking a ban on the practice of slaughtering animals as part of religious sacrifices.
The plea was moved by Jammu-based lawyer, Ankur Sharma, on behalf of his client, Tek Chand, a priest of a Hindu temple in Kathua. The PIL had also sought a direction from the court to make the slaughter of cows in IIOJK a cognizable offence with strict punishment.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Pankaj Mithal and Justice Sindhu Sharma said, “Which practice of slaughtering or sacrificing animals is legal or illegal depends upon the traditions and customs of a particular religion and the place of worship. It is a matter of evidence which cannot be appreciated in the exercise of discretionary jurisdiction”.
The plea was moved to get a ban imposed on the slaughter of sacrificial animals on Eid-ul-Azha. The Muslim offer sacrifices of animals as part of their faith on the auspicious occasion of Eid-ul-Azha.—KMS
