Appeal court orders slaughter of Shambo

LONDON: A British appeal court has ordered the slaughter of Shambo, a sacred bull at Skanda Vale temple in Wales, which tested positive for bovine tuberculosis, despite protests by the Hindu community.

Any further appeal to the House of Lords, the highest court in Britain, has also been rejected, a spokesman of the Hindu Forum of Britain said on Tuesday.

The appeals court in London on Monday said the devolved government in Wales was 'justified' in serving the slaughter order as it overturned a lower court's verdict last week in favour of the Hindu community.

Lord Justice Malcolm Pill, sitting with two other judges who heard the case in Cardiff last week, said no exception should be made for Shambo.

"I have come to the conclusion that the minister (former rural affairs minister Jane Davidson) was entitled to make the decision she did in regard to the very considerable problem presented by bTB," the judge said.

"The decision to eliminate the risk by slaughter and not to permit an exception to the slaughter policy was, in my judgement, justified," he said.

Skanda Vale Temple reacted with disappointment at the decision not to quash the slaughter notice on Shambo.

Swami Suryananda of the Skanda Vale Temple said, "We have put a very strong case across about our rights, and those of all Hindus, to freely practice religion by recognising the sanctity of life. This decision seriously disregards the principal tenets of Hindu Dharma."