Earlier. The Bombay High Court had allowed the sacrifice, subject to strict compliance with earlier conditions, stating that the trust managing the dargah had fulfilled all required legal parameters.
Just a day before Eid al-Adha (Bakri Eid), the Supreme Court of India today refused to give an urgent hearing to a petition challenging the Bombay High Court’s order that allowed animal sacrifice at Hazrat Peer Malik Rehan Dargah, located inside the Vishalgad Fort in Kolhapur, Maharashtra.
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A bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and SC Sharma declined the urgent listing of the matter, citing that Eid is tomorrow, and hence the request for an urgent hearing could not be accommodated.
The issue revolves around the permission for animal slaughter on the occasion of Bakri Eid (June 7, 2025) and during the Urs festival (June 8–12, 2025) at the historic dargah site situated inside a protected monument, Vishalgad Fort.
The Bombay High Court had allowed the sacrifice, subject to strict compliance with earlier conditions, stating that the trust managing the dargah had fulfilled all required legal parameters.
During the hearing, the petitioner informed the Supreme Court that the State of Maharashtra had issued a notification declaring Vishalgad Fort as a protected monument. They argued that animal slaughter and other such activities would violate the Maharashtra Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Rules, 1962, which specifically prohibit cooking and consumption of food within such sites.
In response, Justice Sanjay Karol observed:
“Many religious activities were going on in protected monuments.”
Earlier, the Hazrat Peer Malik Rehan Dargah Trust had approached the Bombay High Court challenging various government communications — from the Director of Archaeology and Museums, the Superintendent of Police, Kolhapur, and the CEO of Kolhapur Zilla Parishad — all of which had sought to ban animal sacrifice at the dargah.
However, the trust clarified that the actual sacrifice takes place on private land located 1.4 kilometres away from the fort, not within the protected monument area. Therefore, they argued, the rules prohibiting cooking or consumption within monuments do not apply in this case.
After considering all arguments, the Bombay High Court permitted the animal sacrifice for both Bakri Eid and the Urs festival.
The court specifically referred to its earlier order dated June 14, 2024, stating that:
“It had allowed animal slaughter during Bakri Eid and Urs at the said dargah.”
Today, the Supreme Court did not interfere with that order and refused urgent listing, effectively letting the High Court’s decision stand.
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