Bombay HC prohibits animal slaughter within residential flats in Mumbai for Bakri-Eid [Read Order]

The Bombay High Court, on Tuesday, passed an interim order, prohibiting the slaughter of sheep/goats within residential flats in Mumbai during the upcoming Bakri-Eid festival. As stated in the order,.“… the MCGM is prohibited and restrained from accepting or granting permissions of slaughter inside any individual fat. It will not matter whether the application is made by an individual, a family or a group of individuals. We restrain all slaughtering within residential flats or accommodations.”.The Court passed the order while observing that the requirements of public safety, hygiene and sanitation make it impossible to accept any policy that permits slaughtering of goats inside individual flats..“In a city that is as densely crowded and congested as Mumbai and where typical residential apartments are small, we do not believe it is possible to make effective arrangements for human, hygienic and safe methods of sacrificial slaughter within a residential flat. Many of these flats are homes for the very old or the very young people and our concern is about the health, hygienic and safety of all. We believe these concerns override all others.“.A Division Bench of Justices SC Dharmadhikari and GS Patel was hearing a petition filed by the Jiv Maitri Trust, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) seeking a ban on the slaughter of animals outside licensed abattoirs..Appearing for the NGO, Senior Advocate Rajani Iyer informed the Court that a notification granting temporary permission for such slaughter, issued by the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) was in violation of the Aircraft Safety act, Cruelty to Animals Act and food safety norms..However, the Court will take up the larger issue raised by the NGO concerning the maintainability of the MCGM notification at a later stage to give finality to the matter..Appearing for the MCGM, Senior Advocate Anil Sakhare submitted that permitted places for slaughter, apart from licensed abattoirs, include designated non-vegetarian markets, community spaces, cooperative housing societies who applied for slaughtering in the open spaces within their premises and individual flats..In the interim order passed by the court on Tuesday, the Court dealt with the applications made for slaughter by housing societies and individual flat holders..However, the Court has not restrained the grant of permission to carry out slaughter in open spaces of housing societies. It has only directed that permission should not be granted if the applicant society is located within a one-kilometer distance from a community space for slaughtering (including a religious slaughtering place)..While the Court has refused to impose a blanket ban on the slaughter of goats during the Eid festival at places other than licensed abattoirs, it directed the MCGM to maintain safety and hygiene standards in the overall public interest..“We expect the MCGM to very strictly and stringently maintain all applicable safety, hygienic and public safety norms and requirements and to move expeditiously against all violations.“.The matter will be heard next on August 14..On a related note, a Division Bench on Tuesday has asked the State to file a reply through an affidavit on data concerning cattle transported to the city for slaughter and other purposes every year and the safety compliances made for their transport under Prevention of Cruelty to Animal Act..[Read Order].Image taken from here.