Apex Court asks Centre to file response on its Ban on Cattle Slaughtering Notification

• The court of justice has asked the Centre to file its response giving it the period of 15 days
• Centre had put a ban on the purchase and sale of bovine animals from animal markets for the purpose of slaughtering on May 26
• The Supreme Court has fixed the next date of hearing for the case on July 11

New Delhi, Jun 15, 2017: A vacation bench in the Supreme Court comprising Justices R K Agrawal and S K Kaul has issued a notice to the Centre on Thursday to file response on its pleas. The Centre had put a ban on the purchase and sale of bovine animals from animal markets for the purpose of slaughtering on May 26.

Under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, the ban was initiated through an Environment Ministry notification- 'Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Regulation of Livestock Markets) Rules, 2017'.

The court of justice has asked the Centre to file its response giving it the period of 15 days on two separate petitions challenging that notification and has fixed the next date of hearing for the case on July 11.

According to the PTI, an additional Solicitor General P S Narasimha was assigned by the Centre who appeared in the court on its behalf and told the court about the intentions of presenting the notification. The notification was bought with a sight to introduce a regulatory establishment on cattle trade across India. He also informed the law guardians that interim stay has been recently granted on the notice by the Madras High Court.

There was a claim by one of the petitioners who challenged the notification calling it as unconstitutional. The notification has offended the basic fundamental rights which include the freedom to religion, freedom to conscience and the right to livelihood.

– prepared by Himanshi Goyal of Newsgram, Twitter: @himanshi1104