Bombay High Court permits animal sacrifice during Id, Urs at Vishalgad dargah

Bombay High Court allows animal sacrifice during Id and Urs celebrations at Vishalgad Fort, Kolhapur, with conditions.

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday (June 3, 2025) allowed animal sacrifice during Id and Urs (death anniversary of a Sufi saint) celebrations at a dargah located within the precincts of the Vishalgad Fort in Kolhapur district of Maharashtra.

Permitting animal slaughter during the festivities, a Division Bench of Justices (Vacation Bench), Neela K. Gokhale and Firdosh P. Pooniwalla also placed certain conditions to comply with.  

The Bench was hearing an application by the Hajrat Peer Malik Rehan Mira Saheb Dargah Trust, challenging a directive from the Deputy Director of Archaeology who had prohibited animal slaughter within the fort premises. The authorities cited that the ban was based on provisions of the Maharashtra Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act that prohibits slaughtering of animals and birds on the premises of a protected monument. A 1998 Aurangabad Bench judgment prohibits public animal sacrifices. 

The Dargah Trust argued that the practice of animal sacrifice is an age-old practice going on the private land that is 1.4 km away from the fort and that the meat from sacrifice is distributed among the pilgrims and villagers.  

The vacation Bench said, “Considering the fact that a coordinate Bench has passed an order on June 14, 2024, and has already dealt with the issue and has permitted the prayer of the present IA, the same shall continue during the forthcoming festival of Id which is on June 7 and the Urs from June 8 to June 12.” 

Disposing of the trust’s application, the Bench observed, “Needless to state, the same conditions which have been imposed in the June 14, 2024 order shall apply to the petitioners in the present interim application and also to devotees of dargah who come to sacrifice animals during Id and Urs. The conditions imposed on June 14, 2024, order shall be strictly complied with.”