HC allows animal slaughter for Bakri Eid and Urs at Vishalgad

Time of India

2 days ago

Mumbai: The Bombay high court vacation bench on Tuesday allowed animal slaughter for Eid al-Adha, or Bakri Eid, at a dargah at Vishalgad fort in Kolhapur but set out conditions that it directed should be strictly complied with.
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The conditions include that the killing of animals or birds shall only take place inside closed premises — a private land owned by one Mubarak Usman Mujawar — and no slaughter should be done in an open or public place.
The court permitted animal slaughter for Bakri Eid on June 7 and the four-day Urs from June 8 to 12 at the dargah of Hajrat Peer Malik Rehan Mira Saheb within the fort. The vacation bench of Justice Neela Gokhale and Justice Firdosh Pooniwalla, hearing an interim application filed by Hazrat Peer Malik Rehan Dargah Trust, which sought permission to conduct the animal slaughter, stated its order would also apply to dargah devotees who come there to sacrifice animals for Eid.
The trust filed a petition challenging various letters sent by the director of archaeology and museums to the superintendent of police, Kolhapur, and the chief executive officer of the Kolhapur Zilla Parishad for a ban on the slaughtering of animals and birds at Vishalgad in Shahuwadi Taluka. The fort, built in the 11th century, is an ancient and historical monument, said the authorities.
The trust's advocate, S B Talekar, said the dargah is within the fort and the actual sacrifice does not take place in a public place but behind closed doors on private land nearly 1.4 km away from the fort.
On June 14 last year, the high court division bench of Justice BP Colabawalla and Justice Pooniwalla allowed animal slaughter during Bakri Eid and Urs at the dargah. "Considering the fact that the coordinate bench of this court in order dated June 14, 2024, already dealt with the issue and permitted the prayer, the same shall continue for the festival of Bakri Eid, which is on June 7, and the Urs for four days from June 8 to 12.
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Needless to state, the same conditions, which were imposed in the June 14, 2024 order, shall apply to the petitioners in the present interim application and also to devotees of the dargah who come to sacrifice animals during Bakri Eid and Urs. The conditions imposed in the June 14, 2024 order shall be strictly complied with," the vacation bench noted in the order and disposed of the trust's application.
Lakhs of devotees, followers, and others visit the dargah on the first day of Urs, said the dargah trust.