Seal all illegal abattoirs within 72 hours, says Uttarakhand HC

Civic bodies asked to ensure no animal is slaughtered in open spaces

Updated on: Sep 21, 2018, 24:00:25 IST

Hindustan Times, Nainital | By Neeraj Santoshi

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The Uttarakhand high court on Thursday directed the state government to seal all illegal slaughterhouses in the state within 72 hours and directed the secretary home department to ensure that no animal is slaughtered on the streets or open spaces from now on.

TAKE YOUR PICK Goats flaunting names of Bollywood actors and popular films, such as Sultan, Salman, Rustam, Sharukh, etc. have flooded the capital markets ahead of Eid-ul-Azha festival, also known as Bakrid, in Patna on Saturday. Parwaz Khan/HT Photo (Parwaz Khan /HT PHOTO)

The court also directed the state government to constitute a committee for slaughterhouses as per a letter issued in 2012 by the ministry of environment and forests, within a period of seven days. The court also said that it was the duty of officials concerned of the civic bodies in the state to ensure that no animal is slaughtered in the public streets/paths/roads and at open spaces, in public view.

The state government should ensure that no slaughterhouse is permitted to run without complying with the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011, till further orders, the court said.

The directions were issued by a division bench of acting chief justice Rajiv Sharma and Justice Manoj Kumar Tiwari while hearing a PIL filed by Parvez Alam earlier this year. The PIL had alleged that illegal slaughtering of animals was prevalent on open roads and outside authorised/permitted slaughterhouses in the state.

The petitioner had also submitted pictures of the animals being slaughtered. “These pictures are disturbing and have pricked the conscience of the court. How the authorities are allowing the slaughtering of animals on the streets, in villages and towns, is beyond our comprehension. Animals also do have constitutional/legal rights. The authorities cannot remain as mute spectators towards the slaughtering of animals, that too, in a very beastly manner,” the order said. To run a slaughter house, ‘No Objection Certificate’ has to be obtained from the local authority.

The high court said chief minister of Uttarakhand has made a public statement that the state will not permit any large scale ‘slaughterhouse’ in the state. The high court was also apprised that 100 persons have been challaned under various provisions for slaughtering of animals in open spaces.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Neeraj Santoshi
Neeraj Santoshi is the Chief of Bureau for Hindustan Times in Uttarakhand, where he leads the state reporting team while covering government, politics, environment, wildlife, Uttarakhand High Court, and issues shaping the Himalayan region. With more than two decades in journalism across conflict zones, he has covered politically sensitive regions and environmentally fragile landscapes, and focused on stories that combine public interest with in-depth storytelling. An alumnus of Pune University with a Master’s in Communication Studies, he has reported extensively from Jammu & Kashmir (2003-2010), Madhya Pradesh (2010 to 2018 ) and Uttarakhand (Since 2018), covering subjects ranging from insurgency, elections and governance to wildlife conservation, mining, climate change, agriculture, human rights and social justice. He has covered politics and legislative assemblies of both Jammu & Kashmir and Madhya Pradesh over more than a decade. Before taking over as Chief of Bureau in Uttarakhand, he served as Special Correspondent with Hindustan Times in Madhya Pradesh and earlier reported for both Hindustan Times and The Indian Express in Jammu & Kashmir, where he covered state politics, environment and insurgency-related developments. Over the years, his stories have focused on environmental degradation, wildlife, illegal mining, governance and the changing social fabric of Himalayan states and Central India. He is particularly interested in long-form explanatory journalism, and stories that explore the intersection of ecology, conservation, governance and society. Outside the newsroom, Neeraj enjoys reading widely on neuroscience, consciousness studies, Artificial Intelligence and quantum physics, with a special interest in Kashmiri Tantric Shaivist traditions. He is also passionate about wildlife, mountaineering and the Himalayas, interests that continue to inform his reporting and deepen his understanding of the region he covers.Read More

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