BALANGIR: Acting Chief Justice of the Orissa High Court Justice I M Quddusi today issued show-cause notice to the Home Secretary, the Endowments Secretary, the Balangir Collector, the Sub-Collector, the SP and the DSP regarding animal sacrifice at Sulia festival at Khairguda this year.
Hearing a petition filed by Sulia Sanskar Manch (SSM) joint convener Debashis Biswal, Justice Quddusi directed the officials concerned to explain how they had allowed the tribals to observe the festival by sacrificing 10,000 animals.
Advocate Ashis Mishra, who is fighting the case on behalf of SSM, told this paper that seven persons - the six government officials and Biranchi Kuanr, head priest of Sulia festival - were opposite parties to the case.
“After hearing the petition, the HC also directed Balangir Collector Aswathy S to explain why the sacrifice was allowed,” said Mishra. The petition had prayed for issuing show-cause to the seven persons and directing Balangir DSP Prasanta Bhoi and Sub-Collector Rajendra Pattnaik to appear in person before the court since the duo was present at the spot when animals were slaughtered.
Mishra said the HC also took into account the 2006 verdict, where it had directed the State Government to strictly follow the Cruelty to Animal Act, 1960, to stop animal sacrifice. Then the HC acted on the petition of Jivan Ballav Das of Orissa Chapter of People for Animals. Earlier, the HC, acting on a petition of MP Mohan Jena, had directed the then Balangir collector to educate people against animal sacrifice.
The SSM has been spearheading anti-sacrifice campaign since 2006. Since then, barring this year, the main site didn’t witness a single animal being sacrificed. In the last four years ban orders were clamped at the main site belonging to the Endowments Department. However, this year, Biranchi sacrificed animals at the main site as there were no ban orders.
