HC pulls up govt for not complying with an order banning slaughter of animals in open

Dehradun: The Uttarakhand High Court has come down heavily on the state government for not complying with its order prohibiting the slaughter of animals in the open.

Slamming the state government, Chief Justice Ramesh Ranganathan and Justice Alok Kumar Verma said if it failed to produce an order staying the high court's prohibition on the slaughtering of animals by August 20, sale of all meat in the state will be stopped unless their source was verified.

Warning against non-compliance of court orders, the bench said in case the state fails to produce a stay order when the petition is heard next on August 20, the court may direct senior superintendents of police and district magistrates of all districts to stop the sale of any meat which has not been slaughtered in a legal slaughterhouse.

The High Court had banned slaughter of all animals in the open in September 2018 asking authorities to ensure that they are slaughtered only in legal slaughterhouses. Arguing on behalf of the petitioner, counsel Kartikeya Hari Gupta informed the court that the state government has already filed a petition in the Supreme Court against the HC order banning slaughter of animals in the open but the apex court has granted no stay against the HC order.

The chief justice observed that notices on the petition were issued by the apex court in April but till date, the state has failed to show any stay order. In this light, the HC order banning the slaughter of animals in the open stands and needs to be complied with in letter and spirit, the Chief Justice said.