The Bombay High Court directed Maharashtra government to file an affidavit giving details of cases of illegal slaughtering of bulls before the beef ban was introduced and also the number of cases registered for sale/ possession of beef after the ban came into force in the state.
The division bench of Justices V M Kanade and B P Colabawala sought the affidavit by July 24.
Advocate Hiten Venegaonkar, appearing for the state, said the data was being collected by the office of the Director General of Police.
The HC had recently upheld government’s ban on beef consumption and possession but said the authorities should not take any coercive step if someone was found in possession of beef for the time being.
The division bench refused to give interim relief to petitioners, who have challenged the ban on slaughter of bulls and bullocks, until the final hearing of the bunch of petitions.
The BJP-led government in the state earlier this year amended the earlier law prohibiting cow-slaughter and banned slaughter, consumption and possession of the meat of bulls and bullocks too.
