Kerala HC: New rule doesn’t ban cattle slaughter

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala high court on Wednesday disposed a PIL filed by a state Youth Congress general secretary, seeking the quashing of the Centre’s notification on sale of cattle for slaughter. The high court observed that the new rule neither violates the Constitution nor deprives people of their right to eat beef. It said that there is no ban on slaughtering cattle, only a restriction on the sale of cattle for the purpose of slaughter at animal markets. The notification, it said, does not stop anyone from selling cattle for slaughter outside the animal market.

The Kerala high court has refused to interfere with the Central rule on the sale of cattle in markets, observing the new rule neither violates the Constitution nor deprives people of right to eat beef.

The HC on Wednesday observed there is absolutely no ban on slaughtering cattle. There was only restriction on the sale of cattle and the new rule made it clear that cattle should not be sold for the purpose of slaughter at animal markets, it said.

The rules framed by the Union government did not stop one from selling cattle for slaughter outside the animal market.

A division bench, presided over Chief Justice Navniti Prasad, was disposing of a public interest litigation filed by Youth Congress general secretary T.G. Sunil, seeking to quash the notification on the restrictions on cattle sale for slaughter.

“Can’t the sale and slaughter be done at home or on rooftops,” the court asked. The bench also dismissed as withdrawn the PIL, challenging the Centre’s ban on the sale of cattle for slaughter at animal markets across the country under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Regulation of Livestock Markets) Rules.