Overview

• Assembly members demanded restarting live snake worship on Nag Panchami in Battis Shirala, a practice halted by a 2002 Bombay High Court ban
• Forest Minister Ganesh Naik plans July 7–8 talks with the Centre to secure permission and protections for the ritual
• BJP MLA Satyajit Deshmukh cited Supreme Court rulings on Jallikattu and ceremonial elephant use as legal precedents
• Deshmukh highlighted the festival’s cultural importance—reflected in school textbooks—and noted there are no records of harm to snakes
• Supporters including BJP member Gopichand Padalkar say the tradition attracts foreign tourists and benefits the local economy