Striking A Balance Between Health And History
By Nandini Rao
In the sprawling urban maze of Mumbai, where pigeon droppings once marred heritage facades, the Bombay High Court has struck a delicate chord. It did not order the outright closure of the city’s iconic kabutarkhanas. What it did was refuse to stay the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) decision to shut them down—placing both human health and tradition under a careful judicial gaze.
The bench, comprising Justices G.S. Kulkarni and Arif Doctor, declared that human life is paramount, but stopped short of extinguishing the religious fervour intertwined with a centuries-old practice. Instead, they proposed that a committee of experts be assembled to guide a measured path forward.
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| Image for representational purpose only |
On July 30, the court took a decisive step: halting unchecked pigeon feeding that authorities say continues with “utter disregard for law,” it authorized the BMC to lodge FIRs against violators under the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita. Dense flocks, feathers in the wind, officers obstructed—it was time to act.
The very first FIR under this directive was registered at Mahim Police Station, a tangible symbol of enforcement amid feathers and fury.
In a city where rituals rise with the dawn, the Bombay High Court has neither silenced the past nor surrendered to it. By refusing to halt BMC’s closures and yet not mandating them, the court has placed the future of pigeon feeding in judicial liminality. The ban, backed by health concerns, now carries real teeth—with FIRs and surveillance. But the spiritual bonds that connect communities to these flocks remain unbroken. As protests swell and political overtures rise, the court’s call for an expert-led, evidence-based solution stands: a compass to guide Mumbai through this tempest—toward a balance between heritage and health, faith and fact.
It wasn’t just law—it was ritual, community and resistance. At Mumbai’s historic Dadar kabutarkhana, tension came to a head. The BMC had covered the site with tarpaulins, following the court’s directive. But religious sentiment surged on 6 August 2025: About 500 Jain protesters forcefully removed the coverings, clashed with police, and resumed feeding the birds—an act authorities described as defiant.
Amid the clamor, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis offered a softer tone, calling the blanket shutdown of pigeon feeding zones “abrupt” and advocating controlled feeding as a compromise—a nod to both health imperatives and religious sensitivities.
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