According to the Cabinet Memorandum, animal and bird sacrifices in Hindu Temples or its precincts will be prohibited if the law is passed..
“One of the primitive methods of worship is animal and bird sacrifices, while the majority of Hindus do not accept the practice. Slaughtering of animals is carried out in public in open courtyard of the temple without considering health and mental harm of the devotees.
“Legislation to ban animal sacrifice in Hindu temples is operative in India. The members of Parliament representing the Hindu Community and Hindu Association in Sri Lanka are of unanimous view that sacrifices of any living being in the name of Hindu Religion should be banned and made a punishable offence,” the memorandum stated.
Jaffna High Court Judge M Ilancheliyan, delivering a ruling in a case filed by the All Ceylon Hindu Maha Sabha against the killings of animals at the Kavunawatte Narasimmar Kovil festival in October last year, prohibited the slaughter of animals in Hindu temples.
