Holy cow! Nation debates peacock
Ex-judge believes in religious evidence
Even as the country was in the grip cow and beef, peacock and peahen usurped the nation’s attention from the holy cow, thanks to Rajasthan High Court judge Justice Mahesh Chand Sharma’s comments extolling the qualities of India’s national bird.
After delivering his 140page order in a public interest litigation, Justice Sharma, who retired on Wednesday, told explained to reporters a unique theory on the peacock, which, according to him made it the national bird.
According to him, peacock was made the national bird of India because it is a Brahmachari.
“Peacock has pious qualities just like cow — Peahen doesn’t need to have mate with peacock to get pregnant, it just swallows ‘tears’ of the peacock for procreation,” he explained, setting off a flood reactions which varied from ridiculing him to posting videos of peacock having sex with peahen.
The Justice, however, continued to insist that his theory was correct.
Replying to a query about whether his theory has any scientific evidence, Justice Sharma, said: “Scientific evidence isn’t everything… there’s religious evidence. There’s a reference in Bhagwat Purana about peacocks not having sex.”
The Centre’s contentious notification banning sale and purchase of cattle at animal markets for slaughter continued to split the nation into two different camps.
While the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court stayed by four weeks the enforcement of the notification, the Kerala High Court said there is no need for it to interfere with the rules as it does not violate the Constitution.
“There is no ban on slaughter or sale of beef. What has been said in the new order is that mass sale of cattle for slaughter through the cattle market is banned,” observed Kerala High Court Chief Justice Navniti Prasad.
IIT-Madras was on the boil on Tuesday as a group of students demanded action against those who allegedly assaulted a PhD scholar for taking part in a beef fest held on the campus on Sunday.
After protests against the unilateral ban increased in the south and eastern parts of the country, including a BJP leader from Meghalaya quitting the party, the Centre was reportedly considered changing the definition of cattle in its new rules to exclude buffaloes from a ban on sale for slaughter at animal markets. The Centre also said that it is upto states to take a call on imposing a ban on the consumption of beef.
Peacock was made the national bird of India because it is a Brahmachari. Peacock has pious qualities just like cow — Peahen doesn’t need to have sex to get pregnant, it just swallows ‘tears’ of the peacock.
— JUSTICE MAHESH CHAND SHARMA Rajasthan high court Judge