Maharashtra government asked to fix dates for meat ban

Mumbai: The Bombay high court on Wednesday asked the state government to come up with suitable arrangements to fix dates on which a ban on animal slaughter and sale of meat (mutton and chicken) could be enforced. A division bench of Justice Anup Mohata and Justice R.V. Ghuge was hearing a petition filed by the Bombay Mutton Dealers Association.

In September 2015, BMC and the state government issued a circular and placed a ban on sale of meat (chicken and mutton) for four days. According to the circular, those days fell under paryushan period (period of fasting and abstinence) observed by the Jain community. The petitioner challenged this in court. The high court then stayed the ban on sale of meat without interfering with animal slaughter. The court asked the government to come up with guidelines and a list of days when the ban could be imposed.

However, when the matter came up for hearing on Wednesday, state government counsel Hiten Venegaonkar said that he needed time to file an affidavit in response to the court’s directions. “We will have to monitor the issue every year. The government will have to fix dates after discussing (the issue) with all parties.... It is a matter that has to be handled in a mature manner,” the court said.

Justice Mohata said, “There has to be an arrangement in society. The government will have to come up with a solution.” The court adjourned the hearing till Thursday. While staying the ban on sale of meat last year, the court slammed the government and BMC for their "regressive" approach and said that such a ban was no solution in a metropolitan city like Mumbai.