Allahabad HC to deliver judgement on slaughterhouses, meat shops today

The bench of justice AP Shahi and justice Sanjay Harkauli completed the hearing of litigations related to the operation of slaughterhouses on Thursday and reserved the judgment for Friday.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath imposed a ban on all illegal slaughterhouses in the state after assuming office on March 19.

The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court will deliver its judgment on the grant or renewal of licences to slaughterhouses and meat shops in Uttar Pradesh on Friday.

The bench of justice AP Shahi and justice Sanjay Harkauli completed the hearing of litigations related to the operation of slaughterhouses on Thursday and reserved the judgment for Friday.

THE FOOD SAFETY AND STANDARDS ACT, 2006

It is an act to consolidate laws relating to food and establish the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India for laying down science based standards for articles of food and to regulate their manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import, to ensure availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

Along with the public interest litigations, the court also clubbed all writ petitions seeking renewal of licences of meat shops filed by individual shop owners.

Advocate general Singh, who appeared on behalf of the state government, pointed out that after the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, came into force all other laws related to food and safety have become redundant.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath imposed a ban on all illegal slaughterhouses in the state after assuming office on March 19. Action against such slaughterhouses was promised in the Bharatiya Janata Party’s manifesto for UP assembly elections.

The advocate general also pointed out that the UP government’s directive was against illegal slaughterhouses and not against those establishments which are operating legally.

Focus on cow smuggling and consumption of cattle meat has risen since the BJP won power in 2014, but the issue returned to spotlight after chief minister Adityanath clamped down on illegal slaughterhouses and cattle smuggling last month.