Uttarakhand High Court permits animal slaughter for Bakar-Eid in Mangalore town in Haridwar [READ ORDER]

The Uttarakhand High Court on Thursday allowed animal slaughter for Bakar-Eid in Mangalore town in Uttarakhand's Haridwar district [Iftakhar and Others v. State of Uttarakhand & Others]..In this regard, a government notification dated March 3, 2021 which had declared Haridwar as a slaughter free area, was stayed by the Court with respect to its applicability to Mangalore on the day of Bakar-Eid, which falls on July 10."The purpose of issuance of order dated 03.03.2021 appears to be to assuage the feeling of Hindu community, since Haridwar is considered as a holy city from times immemorial. However, in our view, to the extent the said order puts a ban in a blanket manner, over areas such as town of Mangalore (situated about 45 kilometers from the town of Haridwar), and where the majority population is Muslim, even on the day of Bakar-Eid, appears to be unreasonable. We, therefore, stay the operation of government order dated 03.03.2021 in respect of town of Mangalore on the occasion of Bakar-Eid which falls on 10th July, 2022," a Division Bench of Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Ramesh Chandra Khulbe observed.However, with caution, the Court stated that the residents of Mangalore town, on Bakar-Eid, shall sacrifice the animals only within the compound of abattoir, and not outside their residences.In this backdrop, the Court observed:"It shall be the responsibility of the interventionists to persuade the entire Muslim community in Mangalore town to ensure that no slaughtering of animal is undertaken on Bakar-Eid outside the premises of abattoir which is constructed on PPP Mode. The Municipal Board, Mangalore, District Haridwar, shall make necessary arrangements at the abattoir on the occasion of Bakar-Eid on 10th July, 2022.".The order was passed on a plea by one Faisal Hussain who had approached the High Court as an intervener urging the court to allow slaughter of animals contending that it is an essential religious practice in Islam.The plea prayed for slaughtering of animals to be allowed in a legally compliant slaughter house which are already in existence in Mangalore Municipality area.The intervener contended that since last one year, the slaughter house could not operate due to blanket ban imposed via government notification dated March 3, 2021 on slaughtering of animals in the entire district of Haridwar..The Court has also directed the intervenor to ensure that no slaughtering is done outside the mentioned legally compliant slaughter houses..The intervenor was represented by Advocate Dr Kartikeya Hari Gupta.[Read Order]