'Why name lions Akbar, Sita?': High Court questions Bengal's choice of big cat names

The Calcutta High Court has instructed the West Bengal government to rename the lion 'Akbar' and the lioness 'Sita' housed in the same enclosure at Bengal Safari Park. The court questioned the state government's lawyer on the appropriateness of naming pets after Hindu Gods or Muslim Prophets.

Justice Saugata Bhattacharya highlighted that Sita is revered by a large population in India and Akbar was a 'secular Mughal Emperor'. The court was addressing a petition by the Bengal wing of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) opposing the names, stating it was disrespectful to Hindus. 

"Mr Counsel, will you yourself name your own pet after some Hindu God or Muslim Prophet ... I think, if any one of us would have been the authority, none of us would have named them as Akbar and Sita. Can anyone of us think of naming an animal after Rabindranath Tagore? Sita is worshipped by a larger section of this country ... I also oppose naming the lion after Akbar. He was an efficient, successful and secular Mughal Emperor," the High Court was quoted as saying by Bar and Bench.

The state government informed that the names were given by the Tripura Zoo authorities in 2016 and 2018 before the lions' transfer to Bengal Safari Park. 

Justice Bhattacharya directed the state government to reconsider the names, indicating that an animal should not be named after a god, mythological character or freedom fighters. 

Justice Saugata Bhattacharya's stance on Thursday marked a departure from his previous observation on Wednesday, where he had casually remarked that the lioness might have been named 'Sita' out of affection, questioning the relevance of such considerations. He even mentioned that the lion at the foot of goddess Durga is widely worshipped.

However, Justice Bhattacharya expressed a change of perspective, stating that he had pondered over the matter overnight. He raised a question about whether an animal should be named after a god, a mythological character, or freedom fighters.

"We aren't talking about the names of the pet animals of an officer of the zoo department. But you are a welfare and a secular State why should you draw a controversy by naming a lion after Sita and Akbar," the judge added.

The court further asked, "You could have named it Bijli or something like that. But why give such names of Akbar and Sita?"

Advocate Debjyoti Choudhary assured that the lions would be renamed and requested the court to dismiss the VHP's petition. The court reclassified the plea as a public interest litigation (PIL) and listed it before the bench which hears PILs.

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