Calcutta HC suggests changing name of lioness Sita following VHP petition

The Calcutta High Court on Thursday (February 22) orally called on the state to consider renaming the lioness called ‘Sita’ who was a worshipped goddess among Hindus, to avoid any controversy.

The court also directed for the reclassification of a plea moved by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) as a public interest litigation, and for it to be placed before the regular bench having determination over PILs, as per a Live Law report.

On being told that the lioness at Alipore zoo was called ‘Sruti’, the bench orally remarked, “These are the uncontroversial names. 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?”

Earlier, a single bench of Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya had directed the state counsel to obtain instructions on whether the pair of lions brought in from Tripura Zoo were named ‘Akbar’ and ‘Sita’ by the West Bengal Zoo authorities.

The Additional Advocate General (AAG) submitted that the lions were named in Tripura and it was the responsibility of the Tripura Zoo authorities. The Counsel also submitted that the writ petition moved by the VHP would not be maintainable as there was no element of personal rights of the petitioners which were involved and that the state itself was looking into the possibility of renaming the lions.

Following these arguments, the Bench opined that due to the nature of the petition which espoused the rights of a large group of people, and claimed that naming a lion after Sita, who was worshipped by many Hindus would hurt their religious sentiments, the plea would have to be reclassified as a PIL, and the present bench would not have determination to hear the same.