Local priest Ajey Singh has been the chief adjudicator of the court for the last three decades. Victims of snake bites, especially the venomous King Cobra attend the court to elicit assurances from souls of the accused reptiles that they will not be harmed in future.
Thousands of people thronged the court to witness the trials every year.
Official figures show that there are more than 1500 deaths per year due to snakebites in India. However, some research conducted by NGOs has claimed that snakebite claim more than 50,000 lives per year. It is fact that most snakebite deaths are not reported to hospitals.
There are 236 species of snakes in India but the common cobra, Russell’s viper, saw-scaled viper, and common krait are believed to be responsible for most of the deaths in India.
