New Delhi, February 9 The Supreme Court on Monday upheld a Madras High Court's decision prohibiting animal sacrifice and granting limited rights to Muslim devotees to pray on the Thiruparankundram hills in Madurai, Tamil Nadu.
Emphasizing that the high court's order of October 2025 was balanced, a bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and P B Varale declined to interfere with it.
The apex court was hearing a petition challenging the high court's order, claiming that it violated the fundamental right to freedom of religion.
Senior advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing the petitioner, stated that there had never been any law and order problems in the area, to which the bench responded that there would not have been any need for a peace committee meeting in the absence of such a problem.
"It seems to be a very balanced order...We do not propose to interfere with the order. Without expressing any opinion on the rights of the parties, the impugned order stands upheld," the bench said.
The Madras High Court had permitted prayers and gatherings in the Nellithoppu area during Bakrid and Ramzan, subject to the condition that it would not affect the traditional pathways belonging to the Subramaniya Swamy temple.
However, it had stated that animal sacrifice, cooking, carrying, and serving of non-vegetarian food cannot be permitted until a decision was made by the competent civil court.
