Revisiting ban on sale of cattle for slaughter: In a blow to Centre, SC extends Madras HC's stay on contentious trade rules

In a setback for the central government, Supreme Court on Tuesday said that the Madras High Court’s stay on Centre’s notification regarding sale of cattle for slaughter will continue and will cover the entire country. [caption id=“attachment_3799877” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representative image. AFP[/caption] Acting on the plea filed by Kapil Sibal and Salman Khurshid on behalf of All India Jamiatul Quresh, the bench comprising Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justice D Y Chandrachud said that livelihood cannot be subjected to uncertainties. The apex court also said that whenever government notifies or changes any existing law, the Centre has to give time to the opposing parties to challenge the order in courts. “Needless to say that the interim direction issued by the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court shall continue and extend to the entire country,” the bench said. In response, the Centre has told the court that the cattle trade rules, which several states refused to implement, would not come into effect and it was reconsidering the notification by taking into account various objections and suggestions of stakeholders and would come up with an amended notification. Additional Solicitor General P S Narasimha, appearing for the Centre said that, “The Ministry of Environment and Forests and others authorities concerned are looking into various suggestions and objections to the notification and a fresh amended one will be re-notified”. On 30 May, the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court had stayed the cattle slaughter rules, and had asked the state and central government to reply to a PIL petition filed before it. The notification was challenged on the ground that it violated the basic right of an individual in relation to his or her choice of food. On 29 June, it had again extended the stay by four more weeks. On 25 May, the environment ministry had notified the stringent Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Regulation of Livestock Markets) Rules, 2017 under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, banning the sale and purchase of cattle from animal markets for slaughter. With inputs from PTI