The Legal Debate surrounding Animal Sacrifices: Examining the Rights of Animals and Religious Freedom

Where on one end, India is said to be home to one of the most religious yet tolerant societies , the other side of coin is still dreary over questions such as animal sacrifice done under the impression of pleasing Gods and Goddesses. This paper draws a word picture of the landmark judgment by the Hon’ble High Court of Tripura that ruled that animal sacrifice is not a religious practice and that it cannot be protected under the right to freedom of religion. The Court held that the 'Right to Religion' protected by the Constitution is not an absolute right and cannot be used as an excuse to carry out animal sacrifices. The author, with the help of this case comment on Subhas Bhattacharjee v.. The State Of Tripura will try to draw out the contentions put forth both in favour and against a ritualistic practice that involves offering an animal to a deity or a God as an act of worship or devotion. Practice is largely seen in Hinduism that holds a significant place in its culture.