This book presents original research on the controversies surrounding animal sacrifice in South Asia through the lens of court cases. It focuses on the parties involved in these cases : on their discourses, motivations, and contrasting points of view. Through an examination of judicial files, court decisions and newspaper articles, and interviews with protagonists, the book explores how the question of animal sacrifice is dealt with through administrative, legislative, and judicial practice. It outlines how, although animal sacrifice has over the ages been contested by various religious reform movements, the practice has remained widespread at all levels of society, especially in certain regions. It reveals that far from merely being a religious and ritual question, animal sacrifice has become a focus of broader public debate, and it discusses how the controversies highlight the contrast between ‘traditional’ and ‘reformist’ understandings of Hinduism ; the conflict between the core legal and moral principles of religious freedom and social progress ; and the growing concern with environmental issues and animal rights.
Contents :
Daniela Berti & Anthony Good : Introduction : The judicialisation and politicisation of sacrifice
Anthony Good : Animal sacrifice, politics and the law in Tamil Nadu, South India
Daniela Berti : Animal sacrifice on trial : Moral reforms and religious freedom in India
Aya Ikegame : Hidden meanings of buffalo sacrifice : Dalit defiance and the working of law and the state in South India
Deonnie G. Moodie : On blood, power, and public interest : The concealment of Hindu sacrificial rites under Indian law
Raphaël Voix : ‘Who belled the cat ?’ The magistrate, the king, the pandit and the abolition of animal sacrifice in a Bengali town
Ritwick Dutta : The last straw on the camel’s back : Analysing judicial decisions and legal approaches on protection of camels in India
Chiara Letizia & Blandine Ripert : ‘Not in the name of dharma’ : A judgment of the Supreme Court of Nepal on mass sacrifices at the Gaḍhī Māī Melā
C.J. Fuller : Afterword Index