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Cattle ban ‘discriminatory’, SC sends notice to Centre, seeks response in 2 weeks

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cow trade, slaughter, cattle
Image Courtesy: IANS

The Supreme Court sought a response from the Centre on pleas challenging its controversial notification banning the sale and purchase of cattle at animal markets for slaughter.

The opposition to the government’s cattle trade rule has reached the Supreme Court, which asked the NDA government to respond on the contentions of several petitions. A Hyderabad-based organisation and two others filed petitions earlier this month, saying the rule violates fundamental rights to livelihood, freedom of religion and food choice.

The apex court’s vacation bench, headed by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and comprising Justice R K Agarwal issued notice to the government for July 11.

Additional Solicitor General P S Narasimha, appearing for the Centre, told the bench that intention behind bringing the notification was to have a regulatory regime on cattle trade across the country.

Mr. PS Narasimha said, “We are treating the stay granted by the Madras High Court as stay across the country. Taking advantage of the stay we have invited suggestions and put in place a regime after consultations”.

The Madras High Court has already put the Centre’s cattle trade rule, which bans sale and purchase of cattle for slaughter in animal markets, on hold. The court has asked the Centre and the state government to respond to the petition, which is also on the same lines.

One of the petitioners, who has approached the apex court challenging the notification, has claimed in his plea that the provisions in the notification were unconstitutional as they violated the fundamental rights including freedom of conscience and religion and right to livelihood.

The Centre had on May 26 banned the sale and purchase of cattle from animal markets for slaughter through an Environment Ministry notification — ‘Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Regulation of Livestock Markets) Rules, 2017’ under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.
It also claimed that states like Kerala, West Bengal, Tripura and Karnataka have said that they would not implement the Centre’s ban, as it would affect the livelihood of those involved in this business.

“It is also to be noted that slaughtering of animals for food, the foods and culinary made out of such animal flesh and offering sacrifice of animals is a part of cultural identity of such communities, which is protected from any legislative or executive encroachment under Article 29 of the Constitution of India which is not been subjected to any restriction by the framers of the Constitution…,” the petitioner had said.

A complete ban on sale or purchase or re-sale of animals would cast a huge economic burden on the farmers, cattle traders who find it difficult to feed their children today, the plea had said.

The cattle also needs to be fed as it was an offence under Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 to starve an animal or failure to maintain it and the notification would also “give way for cow vigilantes to harass farmers and cattle traders under the blessing of impugned regulations”, it said.


Source: Agencies

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