New Delhi: While hearing the case concerning lions named ‘Akbar’ and ‘Sita’, the Calcutta high court directed the reclassification of the plea submitted by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) as a public interest litigation (PIL).
VHP had moved the circuit bench of the Kolkata high court against the fact that one of two lions named ‘Sita’ – brought to West Bengal from Tripura – couldn’t be a companion to the lion named ‘Akbar’ as it would hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus.
Additional advocate general (AAG) told the court that the lions had been named in Tripura and that it was the responsibility of the Tripura Zoo authorities, LiveLaw reported.
Justice Bhattacharya remarked that this controversy could have been avoided. “Who has given this name? Causing controversy? I was thinking whether any animal can be given a name after a god, mythological hero, freedom fighter, or Nobel laureate. You are a welfare state and it is a secular state. Why should you draw controversy by naming a lion after Sita and Akbar?” he asked.
“Not only Sita, but I also don’t support the naming of a lion, Akbar. He was a very efficient and noble Mughal emperor. Very successful and secular Mughal emperor. If it is already named, the state authority should shun it and avoid it. West Bengal should have challenged the names given,” he added.
Expressing concerns about potential religious controversies, the Bench urged the state to consider renaming the lioness.
During the proceedings, the court questioned the practice of naming animals after revered figures, gods and historical figures while stressing upon the need to avoid controversies related to religious sentiments.
AAG said that the West Bengal authorities were considering renaming the lions due to the controversy and the ‘backlash’ on social media.
Consequently, the court released the matter, granting the petitioners the liberty to amend their pleadings in the form of a PIL. The registry was directed to re-number and place the case before the appropriate bench specialising in PILs, the report said.
