Delhi High Court refuses direction to ban cow slaughter
The Delhi High Court has declined to issue an order to the central government regarding a complete ban on cow slaughter across the country. The court stated that any action in this matter must be taken by the competent legislature. Moreover, the petitioner was advised to approach the relevant legislature in light of a previous ruling by the Supreme Court.
Why does this story matter?
The order was issued by the court in response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Brishbhan Verma, a 77-year-old man from Madhya Pradesh, amid controversy over cow slaughtering. In the past, such issues triggered a major row in India when cow vigilantes attacked suspected cow smugglers. Many states reported violent incidents, while opposition parties accused the Centre of inaction.
Petitioner free to take action for ban in states: HC
A bench led by Delhi HC Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma remarked that the national capital already has a restriction on cow slaughter due to a statute implemented by the Delhi government. It stated the petitioner was free to take necessary actions for other states in view of a Supreme Court ruling, which held that legislature could not be coerced to pass specific laws.
HC says SC can't compel legislature to enact legislation
The Supreme Court had clarified that prohibiting the slaughter of cow and its progeny can only be decided by a competent legislature, the HC said in an order passed last week. It said the SC was not authorized to compel the legislature to enact any particular legislation. The HC directed the appellants in the case to approach the legislature for a final resolution.
Know about petitioner's plea
According to NDTV, the petitioner had made the request for directions to the Centre to completely ban the slaughter of cows and their offspring, including old, useless bulls, bullocks, old buffaloes, and male counterparts, without any delay. However, the high court stated that, based on the SC's decision, the petitioner could not demand the relief they asked for in their petition.
Centre's stance on issue
Monika Arora, the counsel representing the Centre, said that all the states and union territories have passed laws to limit or prohibit the slaughter of cows, except five states and one UT. She added that the authority to legislate on this issue lies with the state governments, and regarding Delhi, the ban was already in effect through the Delhi Agricultural Cattle Preservation Act, 1994.
