The Bombay high court on Thursday fixed December 5 to commence hearing the bunch of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Act banning slaughter of bulls and bullocks and possessing beef in Maharashtra.
The division bench of Justice Abhay S Oka and Justice S.C. Gupte said they want to complete hearing on this matter by December 18 and hence they would start hearing these petitions on December 5, a working Saturday. Then they would continue hearing this matter from December 9 to 11 and in case if still arguments are not over then the matter would be taken up again for hearing on December 16 to 18.
This bench has been specially constituted by Acting Chief Justice V.K. Tahilramani because Justice Gautam Patel, who was part of Justice Oka’s bench, recused from hearing the matter on the ground that in 2012 he had written an article in a tabloid after Karnataka government proposed a similar law to ban beef. According to him, as he has expressed his views it would not be appropriate for him to hear the petitions.
In February 2015, President Pranab Mukherjee had granted sanction to the Maharashtra Animal Preservation (Amendment) Act. While the Act had banned slaughter of cows way back in 1976, the recent amendments prohibited slaughter of bulls and bullocks. According to the amended Act, the sale of bull and bullock for slaughtering in the state is an offence punishable with five-year jail term and Rs 10,000 fine. Besides, possession of meat of a cow, meat of bull or bullock is also an offence attracting a one-year jail term and Rs 2,000 fine.
There are two types of petitions filed against the Act: one has challenged only section 5D of the Act which criminalises possession of beef, while other petitioners have challenged the entire amendment.
