Tamil Nadu Govt Challenges Madras HC's Blanket Ban on Cow Slaughter in Supreme Court

The Tamil Nadu govt has moved the Supreme Court against the Madras high court order imposing a blanket ban on the slaughter of cows and calves in the state. In its plea, the Tamil Nadu govt challenged the May 27 order of the high court, which directed the chief secretary and the director general of police/head of police force to ensure that no cow or calf got slaughtered across the state either on the eve of Bakrid on May 28, or on any other day.

“In a writ petition seeking a direction to ‘prevent the slaughter of cows in public places’, the HC ought to have travelled beyond the issue involved, to impose an absolute and blanket ban...,” the govt’s appeal said. The HC order was based on a 1976 ruling .

Madras HC order on cow slaughter ban based on 1976 ruling

On May 27, the high court, while hearing a PIL filed by K Surya Prasanth, the general secretary of Hindu Makkal Katchi, which sought direction to prevent the slaughtering of cows in public places, directed the state govt to impose the blanket ban. The plea also sought directions that slaughter be carried out at designated places only. The high court order was based on a 1976 ruling, which prohibited cow slaughter in the interest of milk production and improvement of rural economy.

In its plea, the state govt termed the order contrary to the Tamil Nadu Animal Preservation Act, 1958. The Act permits the slaughter of cows aged over 10 years that are unfit for work and breeding, on the basis of a certificate issued by a competent authority. The high court, however, imposed a blanket ban.