Uttarakhand HC gives nod to goat sacrifice away from temple for Nanda Devi festival

Devotees will now continue the ritual at a designated slaughterhouse supervised by municipal authorities, balancing centuries-old traditions with environmental and animal welfare considerations.

Nainital: The Uttarakhand High Court has granted permission to set up a slaughterhouse at a designated location away from the Naina Devi temple here for goat sacrifice during the ongoing Nanda Devi festival.

A two-judge bench comprising Chief Justice Guhanathan Narendar and Justice Subhash Upadhyay granted the permission on Friday while hearing a PIL seeking the high court's nod for the purpose, citing animal sacrifice during the festival as an old tradition.

The court directed the municipal council to identify a location for the slaughterhouse and instructed the pollution control board to issue a no objection certificate (NOC).

Animal sacrifice at the Naina Devi temple located at the northern end of Naini Lake in Nainital has been banned since 2015.

The PIL filed by local resident Pawan Jatav and others said the practice of animal sacrifice during the Nanda Devi festival had been in place since long, while animal entry into the temple and sacrifices were prohibited in 2015.

The petitioners contended that the ban was hurting the faith of the devotees and therefore a slaughterhouse should be permitted during the festival for the ritual sacrifice of goats.

However, animal rights activist Gauri Maulekhi from People for Animals (PFA) argued that animal sacrifice in public places harmed the environment.

Considering the sentiments of the devotees, the division bench allowed ritual sacrifice in the slaughterhouse during the festival.

The court directed the municipal council to earmark a piece of land and establish the slaughterhouse there. It also said that a food inspector should supervise the sacrifice process.

Due to the ban on animal sacrifice at the temple during the festival, many people had switched to offering coconuts, instead of goat. for sacrifice.

An area for offering coconuts is earmarked within the temple premises.