Mumbai: The Bombay high court rejected the public interest litigation (PIL) challenging the union government’s decision of selling around 20,000 cattle in 39 military farms across the country for rupees 1,000 per animal. The court stated that sin-ce the cost of maintaining the Frieswal type of cow was high and alternate source of milk for the army was available in the market at a cheaper rate, the closure of the farms was inevitable.
A division bench of Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice Makarand Kar-nik was hearing PIL filed by Pune-based petitioner who worked at a military farm. The petition argu-ed that since the Frieswal variety of cow was developed by the military over 40 years and more than rupees 1,000 crore was spent on the research for the same, the decision of the government to sell off the cows at cheaper rates was unjustified. The PIL claimed that by selling the cows the government wanted to close the military farms.
Additional solicitor general Anil Singh while arguing the matter infor-med the court that the farms were only supplying 15 per cent of the milk required by the ar-my. The decision of Uni-on to shut the military farms was based on exp-ert committee reports.
The court rejected the PIL after Union submitted that the cattle were being sold to the states and not to private dairy farms.
