Kerala High Court orders police protection at festival where family offers cooked meat to goddess at private temple

The Kerala High Court on Monday ordered police authorities to ensure that law and order is maintained during a festival observed at a private temple of a family in Vatakara, Kozhikode that traditionally offers cooked meat to a deity. .Justice Devan Ramachandran did not quash a communication issued by the Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) prohibiting the ritual. However, the Court ordered that the ritual will not be restricted during the festival scheduled on January 15, 16 and 17, until it has the opportunity to consider the matter in detail. "Until which time, though this Court is not interdicting Ext.P5 (RDO communication), the conventional offering of cooked meat will not stand restricted," the interim order stated. .The order was passed on a petition moved by one Pushpalatha P, the eldest member of the family.According to the petition, the family's ancestral home has a private temple where a three-day festival called Thirra Maholsavam is conducted every year, during which they cook roosters and offer it as prasadam to the deity. The cooked meat is also eaten by the family members. It is contended that this has been the custom in the family since time immemmorial."The said festival is being conducted from time immemmorial and at the least for more than 500 years. In the Malabar area in Kerala, Thirra Maholsavam is conducted for more than around 1000 years in various temples. Moreover the rooster is a domestic animal and no permission is necessary to kill and eat it in a house. in the same manner the said ritual is conducted inside the Tharavadu of the petitioner and there is no harm to any other person due to the said ritual," the plea stated. The petitioner contended that one of the members of her family has been harassing her and other family members, seeking control of the temple, even though she was bestowed with control of the affairs of the temple via a partition deed. It is alleged that the said family member is a member of the ruling party in the State. He had previously filed a civil suit to stop the rituals, but later dropped it and filed a complaint before the RDO, the plea said.The petitioner contended that the RDO, without hearing her, issued a communication prohibiting the rituals.Seeking to quash this communication, the peititoner approached the High Court. She also sought police protection at her ancestral home so that the festival can be conducted smoothly.Pertinently, the petitioner sought an order from the Court declaring that temples, as defined under Section 2(c) of the Kerala Animals and Birds Sacrifices Prohibition Act, 1968, applies only to temples meant for public religious worship and not private family temples..The Court on Monday issued notice to the concerned District Collector, the RDO and police officer, as well as the family member who allegedly filed the complaint to stop the performance of the ritual. It will consider the matter next on Wendesday, January 17. .Advocates SK Adhithyan and Reuben Charly appeared for the petitioner..[Read Order]