On Thursday, the Calcutta High Court deliberated on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that contests the anticipated slaughter of 'more than 10,000 goats' scheduled to take place in West Bengal for the forthcoming 'Bolla Kali Festival.'

The division bench of Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharya, interrogated the petitioner's counsel regarding the existence of any prohibition or legislative act in West Bengal that explicitly restricts or prohibits goat slaughter.

"No milord, but there are certain rules, like the West Bengal Animal Slaughter Rules, 1950, which require each goat to be certified by a vet as to be fit to be slaughtered, since they would have no other purpose," it was contended.

The counsel argued that the intended slaughter of the goats was planned for the "Bolla Kali Puja" occasion. They highlighted that such slaughtering had been temporarily suspended for the past two years due to court orders and circulars issued by the Central Government.

It was argued, "Throughout the state, prominent temples like the Bolla Kali temple in Dinajpur have announced their intention to collectively slaughter 10,000 goats. Numerous similar temples in the state are planning goat sacrifices as part of their religious devotion." Following the plea, the bench instructed for the case to be scheduled for the next day and urged the petitioner's counsel to serve all the respondents, ensuring their presence in the upcoming hearing.