The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice to the Maharashtra government and the Centre and sought their replies on a batch of petitions against the May 6 order of the Bombay high court upholding the ban on cow slaughter in the state under the amended Maharashtra Animals Preservation (Amendment) Act, 2015.
A bench of Justices A. K. Sikri and D.Y. Chandrachud sought a reply on petitions filed by Swatija Paranjpe and 29 others, and on petitions from butchers’ associations, farmers and religious bodies. The bench, while giving six weeks for the reply, directed the matter to be tagged with a petition of Akhil Bharat Krishi Goseva Sangh, which challenged the Bombay high court order allowing the possession and consumption of beef brought into Maharashtra from outside the state.
Those opposed to the ban said that if it is allowed to continue unchecked, it would have an impact on all those states where slaughtering cows or eating beef is banned. They have also pointed out that those who consume beef as a part of their regular diet are predominantly from the lower socio-economic strata of society, such as members of the SC/ST communities, or are members of a minority community such as Muslims. Therefore, they said, the effect of restricting access to cheap and nutritious food that is a part of their regular diet would extraordinarily severe and cannot be legally sustained.
These petitioners opposed to the ban said: “No person can be compelled to eat what he or she does not wish to eat as an alternative source of food, since the right to eat food of one’s choice is part of the fundamental right to life guaranteed under Article 21 of the constitution (right to life).”
