COLOMBO, SRI LANKA, July 23, 2014 (Colombo Page): Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court has ruled that the Hindu temples can perform animal sacrifice under controlled conditions. The apex court on Monday hearing an appeal filed by the trustees of the Sri Bhadrakali Amman Kovil at Munneswaram in Chilaw ruled that the Hindu Temple can slaughter the animals under the supervision of the Public Health Department.
In recent years the customary ritual of sacrificing hundreds of goats and fowl in the annual feast of the Munneswaram Sri Bhadra Kali Amman Kovil in Chilaw has come under severe protest from the animal lovers, Buddhist clergy and politicians. (HPI Note: The Buddhists of Sri Lanka are not vegetarians.)
The Chief Justice Mohan Peiris said he is not ready to ban the animal sacrifice since the practice was hundreds of years old. However, he said the number of animals slaughtered normally is too high and urged the devotees to talk to each other to bring down the number of animals killed. He ordered the temple authorities to slaughter one animal at a time in a specially designated enclosure away from the public view under the supervision of the Public Health Department.