The Calcutta High Court on Thursday upheld the ban on slaughter of cattle in public places and refused to stay the West Bengal government’s order regulating slaughter before Eid al-Azha.
The Supreme Court bench, including Sujoy Paul and Justice Partha Sarathi Sen, strictly banned the slaughter of cows and buffaloes in public places, Live Law reported.
The court said that sacrificing a cow is not part of any religious festival, adding that slaughtering animals in a public place is strictly prohibited.
“Slaughtering of animals including cows and buffaloes in any open public place is strictly prohibited. Secondly, cow sacrifice is not a part of the ID-UZ-ZOHA festival and is not a religious requirement under Islam as decided by the Supreme Court in Muhammad Hanif Qureshi and Ors v. State of Bihar,” the court order said.
The order comes at a time when the petitioners, including TMC MP Mahua Moitra, have challenged the Bengal government’s recent notification regulating cattle slaughter.
The petitioners sought exemption under Section 12 of the Animal Slaughter Control Act, 1950, for performing religious rituals during the festival.
“We are inclined to direct that the State make a decision under Section 12 of the 1950 Act with respect to the relief sought by some of the petitioners,” the court ruled.
What is the order of the Bangladeshi government regarding cattle slaughter?
The newly elected Suvendu Adhikari government, in a notification dated May 13, issued a set of guidelines prohibiting the slaughter of animals without “proper certification” from the authorities. The order also warned of penal action if the directions are not followed.
The government has also made it clear that slaughtering animals in open public places will be “strictly prohibited.” A batch of petitions were soon after filed before the Supreme Court challenging the order regarding the guidelines to be followed or complied with the West Bengal Animal Slaughter Control Act, 1950, according to PTI.
