Ahead of Nepal's Gadhimai festival, India's Supreme Court issues notice to curb illegal transport of 500,000 animals

The Supreme Court of India may crack the whip against the mass transport of animals from India to Nepal for the Gadhimai festival.

A Supreme Court bench headed by Justice Jagdish Singh Kehar passed an interim order on October 17 directing the Union of India to prevent the illegal movement of animals across the border from India to Nepal. This comes a month before the Gadhimai Festival, scheduled to be held on November 28-29 in southern Nepal. The festival is held in Nepal every five years and involves the sacrifice of approximately 500,000 animals over a period of two days. 

Approximately 70% of the animals to be sacrificed at the festival are estimated to come from India, so the immediate implementation of this order could have a significant impact on the event, even leading to the entire sacrifice being abandoned. Notices have been issued to the Union of India, as well as the states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal, from where the mass exodus usually takes place.

The mass export of animals across the border is a direct violation of the Export-Import Policy of India and the Foreign Trade Act (Development and Regulation) Act 1992, which categorically places live cattle and buffalo in the restricted export category, requiring a license to legally export them. The court’s order was passed in direct response to an urgent petition submitted by Gauri Maulekhi, consultant to Humane Society International/India and Trustee of People for Animals.

NG Jayasimha, managing director of Humane Society International/India, said: “The Supreme Court of India's order offers a vital lifeline to the hundreds of thousands of animals being illegally taken across the border to be killed, and there is every chance that with this action we can prevent the killing going ahead this year." 

Also, 22 countries recently protested against the festival outside the Nepalese embassy urging authorities to take immediate action against the festival. Through several protests and online awareness drives such as the 'Let's STOP Animal Sacrifice at Gadhimai' ,many animal activist groups have urged the Nepalese government to put an end to the festival and are seeking for international help. 

The Supreme Court of India concluded by saying that strict action must be taken against such a demeaning and barbaric ritual.

With inputs from Humane Society International/India