The Bombay high court is likely to hear a bunch of petitions on Wednesday challenging ban on slaughter of bulls and bullocks and possessions of their meat in Maharashtra.
The Bombay high court is likely to hear a bunch of petitions on Wednesday challenging ban on slaughter of bulls and bullocks and possessions of their meat in Maharashtra.
The division bench headed by Justice Abhay S. Oka is likely to hear a petition, which claims that the amendment into the Maharashtra Animal Preservation Act, 1976 is infringement of fundamental rights under various articles of the Constitution of India. There are petitions that have also challenged the constitutional validity of the Act.
The petitions have been filed in the high court challenging section 5, which puts a ban on slaughter of bulls and bullocks as well as section 5A to 5D that makes even transporting, buying, selling, importing and exporting these animals for slaughtering a crime and possession of its meat is also not allowed as per the amended law.
Some of the petitioners have sought amendment in the Act to permit import of meat of bulls and bullocks from places where slaughtering of these animals is not banned.
While a few of the petitioners have challenged the entire amendment, the court has divided petitioners into two groups: one is those who have challenged the entire Act and another is on limited issue. The court will also decide on Wednesday which group’s petition would be heard first.
One of the petitioners has contended that the amending act was passed by the legislature in the year 1995 considering the situation prevailing at that time which has been brought into force 20 years thereafter. According to the petitioner, the current situation should be taken into consideration while imposing a ban.
On last date of hearing, the court had refused to grant interim relief and stay for three days of Bakri Id as it did not have statutory power to grant such relief and had adjourned the matter to be finally heard, which is expected to be heard on November 18.
