Reuters
London, Jul 24: Shambo, a sacred bull kept by a group of Hindus in Wales who has tested positive for bovine tuberculosis, can be slaughtered, a London court ruled on Monday, overturning last week's block on his death sentence.
The Shambo saga began earlier this month when the Welsh regional government ordered that the six-year-old animal, the temple bull at the Skanda Vale community in Llanpumsaint, Carmarthen, be put to death on health grounds.
Cows are sacred to Hindus and more than 20,000 people signed a petition to save Shambo. They have constructed a special shrine to the bull within their main temple.
The believers argue the bull is healthy, despite the tests, and that to kill it would be "an appalling desecration of life, the sanctity of our temple and Hinduism."
Last week, the High Court in Cardiff, Wales, agreed with the group, the Community of the Many Names of God, saying Shambo should be saved because the Welsh Assembly's decision failed to give enough weight to their religious rights.
However, the Assembly appealed against that verdict and on Monday London's Court of Appeal ruled the Minister's original decision to order Shambo's slaughter was justified on public health grounds.
"I have come to the conclusion that the Minister was entitled to make the decision she did, having regard to the very considerable problem presented by bovine tuberculosis," said Lord Justice Malcolm Pill.
The community at Skanda Vale said it was devastated by the decision.
"We have put a very strong case across about our rights, and those of all Hindus, to freely practise religion by recognising the sanctity of life," said the group's Swami Suryananda.
"The law needs to be broad enough and should include viable alternatives such as isolation and treatment to achieve their purpose so that they don't cut across people's ethics, religion or conscience. We don't cull infected humans, we treat them."
The group said it would continue to see how it could save Shambo. They were also waiting to see if they could appeal to the House of Lords.
The Hindu Forum of Britain said slaughtering Shambo would be a "very gross affront to Hindus' beliefs."
"This decision now means that Hindus, and other ethnic minorities who wish to observe their faith are second class citizens in the eyes of the law," said Ramesh Kallidai, the forum's secretary general.