Cuttack, March 5: Orissa High Court has expressed its disinclination to pass any order on a writ petition seeking judicial intervention to stop the sacrifice of birds and animals during Badayatra in Malkangiri district.

The writ petition was filed on the basis of information, which mentioned that thousands of animals were going to be sacrificed during the Badayatra.

However, the court expected the petitioner to place the remedy before the Malkangiri collector because he is the “competent authority” to take a decision on it. This year, the Badayatra began on February 22. Jayanti Das (46), a resident of Mahamadia Bazar area of Cuttack city, had filed the petition on February 15. Advocate B.K. Ragada had moved the petition on behalf of her, invoking the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1980.

But the two-judge bench of Chief Justice V. Gopal Gowda and Justice B.N. Mohapatra disposed of the writ petition saying: “As earlier in a similar matter we have directed the petitioner in that case to avail the remedy before the concerned collector who is the competent authority to consider the grievance and take a decision in respect of the prayer made. This court does not want to pass any further order in this writ petition.”

“However, the petitioner is directed to approach the collector, Malkangiri, for ventilating her grievance,” the order issued yesterday said.

Disposing of an earlier petition on November 12, 2010, the high court had observed: “This court cannot issue the direction as prayed for at this stage. It is open to the petitioner to make a representation to the collector of the district ventilating its grievance which shall be considered and disposed off by the collector in accordance with law.”