‘Cow slaughter not part of Id-Uz-Zoha’: Calcutta HC upholds Bengal govt's cattle slaughter restrictions

The court said that the sacrifice of a cow is not part of any religious festival, adding that the slaughter of animals in a public place is strictly prohibited.

Updated on: May 21, 2026, 20:59:36 IST

Edited by Majid Alam

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The Calcutta high court on Thursday upheld the ban on cattle slaughter in public places and refused to stay the West Bengal government order regulating slaughter ahead of Eid al-Adha.

Calcutta high court has upheld West Bengal government's decision on cattle slaughter. (HT File)

A bench of high court, including Sujoy Paul and Justice Partha Sarathi Sen, strictly prohibited the slaughter of cows and buffaloes in public places, Live Law reported.

The court said that the sacrifice of a cow is not part of any religious festival, adding that the slaughter of animals in a public place is strictly prohibited.

“Slaughter of animals including cows and buffalos in any open public place is strictly prohibited. Secondly, sacrifice of a cow is no part of the festival of ID-UZ-ZOHA and is not a religious requirement under Islam as held by the Supreme Court in the case of Mohd. Hanif Quareshi & Ors. Vs. The State of Bihar,” the court order stated.

The order comes as the petitioners, including TMC MP Mahua Moitra, challenged the Bengal government's recent notification regulating the slaughter of cattle.

The petitioners sought an exemption under Section 12 of the Animal Slaughter Control Act, 1950, for performing the religious rituals during the festival.

"We are inclined to direct that the state shall take a decision in the teeth of Section 12 of the Act of 1950 regarding the exemption prayed for by certain petitioners," the court ruled.

What is the Bengal government order regarding cattle slaughter

The newly-elected Suvendu Adhikari government, in a notification on May 13, issued a set of guidelines barring animal slaughter without a "fit certificate" from authorities. The order also warned of penal action if the directions are not followed.

The government also made it clear that animal slaughter in open public places would be "strictly prohibited". A batch of petitions were filed soon after before the high court challenging the order with regard to the guidelines to be followed or compliance of West Bengal Animal Slaughter Control Act, 1950, according to PTI.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Majid Alam
Majid Alam is a Chief Content Producer working at Hindustan Times, based in New Delhi. He currently heads shifts at online desk and manages homepage apart from writing, editing and curating articles. With over six years of experience in journalism, Majid has navigated national, politics and international news. His work primarily focuses on the politics of the Hindi heartland, government policies, and South Asia. He also writes on US and Europe’s policies vis-à-vis India. Before joining Hindustan Times, Majid worked at ABP LIVE as the Chief Copy Editor and at News18, where he managed the World and Explainers sections. His articles have featured in Dialogue Earth, The Quint, BMJ, The Diplomat, and Outlook India. Majid has a keen interest in the use of data for storytelling. Majid holds a Masters in Convergent Journalism from Jamia Millia Islamia. He was awarded the Erasmus+ scholarship to study International Affairs at Sciences Po, Paris in 2020. He is also part of the OCEANS Network, an alumni network of Erasmus+ exchange scholars. He is currently serving as the National Representative (India) at the OCEANS Network. Apart from journalism, Majid has a flair for academic writing and loves to teach. He has published a book chapter: 'Bombay Cinema and Postmodernism' in the book: 'Handbook of Research on Social and Cultural Dynamics in Indian Cinema.' He was also part of the OCEANS Network delegation to Hanoi National University of Education in Vietnam in 2025. He has also given guest lecture in digital journalism at AJK MCRC, Jamia Millia Islamia.Read More

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