The Bombay High Court granted permission on Tuesday for the ritual sacrifice of animals during the Bakrid festival at the Urs event held at the dargah located within Vishalgad Fort in Maharashtra's Kolhapur district.

This historic fort is a protected monument, which led officials to impose a ban on the sacrifice of animals and birds within its premises. A vacation bench comprising Justice Neela Gokhale and Justice Firdous Pooniwala heard a petition from the Hazrat Pir Malik Rehan Dargah Trust, seeking approval for the animal sacrifice.

The bench allowed the sacrifice during the Bakrid festival, which falls on June 7, and also during the four-day Urs celebration scheduled from June 8 to June 12 at the dargah.

The court clarified that this order would apply not only to the dargah trust but also to other devotees. The Deputy Director of the Archaeological Department had previously cited the Maharashtra Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act to impose the ban on animal sacrifice at the fort. However, the trust argued that the sacrifice is an 'ancient practice' conducted on private land located 1.4 kilometers away from the fort, with the meat distributed among pilgrims and local villagers.