Will not affect state laws: Jaitley on Centre's ban on cattle for slaughter

New Delhi: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday said the Centre's ban on sale and purchase of cattle from animal markets for slaughter has nothing to do with state legislations on animal slaughtering.

The animal markets are meant for farmers and not for traders, he said, adding that "this is the only effect of the notification".

Last week the Environment Ministry notified the stringent 'Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Regulation of Livestock Markets) Rules, 2017, under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, banning sale and purchase of cattle from animal markets for slaughter.

Jaitley said the existing laws are continuing and the notification has 'nothing to do with state legislations' with regard to slaughter of cattle.

"Every state has its own legislation or no legislation (with regard to slaughter of cattle). You have provision in the Constitution Article 48 (Directive Principles) which says that certain category of animals have to be protected," Jaitley said.

Prohibition of cow slaughter mentioned in Article 48 of the Constitution is not an enforceable article, but a Directive Principles of State Policy that mandates that the states have to bring laws to ban cow slaughter.