Prevent illegal slaughter on Bakri-Eid: Bombay High Court

The Bombay High court on Friday directed the Mumbai Police Commissioner to inform the police stations and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), to ensure that there is no illegal slaughtering of animals in the city during Bakri-Eid, scheduled to be on Monday.

The vacation bench of Justice Roshan Dalvi and Justice A Sayyed directed Bhartiya Gauvansh Rakshan Samvardhan  Parishad, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), to approach the police commissioner and the BMC to apprise them of the state’s two circulars issued in October banning illegal slaughtering.

As per the circular of October 20, issued by the home department, the police commissioner and the district collector, were asked to ensure that there is no illegal slaughtering in their jurisdiction and senior police inspectors were instructed to provide necessary protection to the BMC officials.

According to the circular of October 13, the authorities have to appoint an experienced officer at the abattoirs, who will check the animals before giving them a certificate and ensure that no ill or below-age animal is allowed to be slaughtered.

According to the petitioners in areas like Agripada and Nagpada, a large number of live stock has been brought for slaughter in the by-lanes during Eid. The petitioners had approached the concerned police stations but got no positive response. They had moved the Mazgaon metropolitan court, which had ordered the police to seize and seal all the illegal animals in the court’s jurisdiction.

However, since the order was for a limited area the NGO had moved the high court for implementation of the circular throughout the city. The bench thus in their orders informed the NGO to move the police commissioner and the BMC, informing about the state governments circular and comply with them.