Indian court raps West Bengal govt over naming lions 'Akbar, Sita'
Representational image of lions in zoo.
The government in the Indian state of West Bengal was instructed by the Calcutta High Court to rename the lionswho have been named "Akbar" and "Sita” after the names caused a controversy. Both the lions were kept in the same enclosure at the Bengal Safari Park in Siliguri.
A petition was filed by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad in the court for changing the name of the lioness after she was recently shifted to West Bengal from Tripura, as per a report published in Live Law.
The single-judge bench of Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya, giving an oral direction, asked the state to think about renaming the animals and avoid controversy.
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"Will you name a lion after a Hindu deity, a Muslim prophet or Christian god or freedom fighter or nobel laureate? Generally anyone who is revered or respected by the people of our country?" Justice Bhattacharyya quipped.
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The Additional Advocate General (AAG), who was representing the case from the West Bengal government's side, said that the lions were given the names in Tripura and the state has already been considering renaming the lions.
The High Court further questioned the reason behind the naming of the lion after "a god, mythological hero, freedom fighter, or Nobel laureate" and questioned why the state did not usethe names which were given by Tripura.
"You are a welfare state and it is a secular state. Why should you draw controversy by naming a lion after Sita and Akbar? This controversy should have been avoided. 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," Justice Bhattacharyya said.
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In the court hearing, Justice Bhattacharyya further questioned if the AAG had any pets who were named after "national heroes".
As per the court's direction, the petition filed by Vishwa Hindu Parishad will be reclassified as a public interest litigation (PIL) and redirected to a regular bench which can hear PILs.
(With inputs from agencies)