Supreme Court upholds Madras HC’s cow slaughter ban order in favor of Tamil Nadu government V Vijay

The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the Madras High Court order imposing a statewide ban on cow and calf slaughter in Tamil Nadu after Chief Minister Vijay’s TVK government approached the apex court.

A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta passed the interim order while issuing notice on the special leave petition filed by the Tamil Nadu government.

The bench said the final paragraph of the Supreme Court’s order, which directed the statewide ban, appeared to require “rectification,” according to a report by LiveLaw.

The state government argued that while the Supreme Court had correctly stated that slaughter of animals could only be done in designated abattoirs, it had also directed that no cow or calf should be slaughtered at Bakrid or on any other day. The state said these trends are contradictory.

The Supreme Court based its order on a 1976 ruling banning the slaughter of cows to protect milk production and support the rural economy.

However, the Tamil Nadu government argued in its plea before the Supreme Court that the apex court’s order was contrary to the provisions of the Tamil Nadu Animal Preservation Act, 1958. Notably, cows more than 10 years old which are no longer fit for work or breeding can be slaughtered after obtaining a certificate from the relevant authority, as per the law.

The petition sought directions to ensure that animals are slaughtered only in designated slaughterhouses. However, the Supreme Court continued to impose a statewide ban on slaughter of cows and calves on any day in Tamil Nadu.

With input from agencies