Calcutta HC refuses to stay restrictions on cattle slaughter ahead of Bakrid
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The Calcutta High Court on Thursday declined to issue a stay on a notification issued by the Bharatiya Janata Party government in West Bengal on May 13 regulating the slaughter of cattle ahead of the festival of Bakrid.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Partha Sarathi Sen said that the notification was issued in compliance with earlier orders passed by the court.
On May 13, the Suvendu Adhikari-led government, in one of its first steps after coming to power in the state on May 4, said that the provisions of the Animal Slaughter Control Act will be strictly enforced.
The order came two weeks before Bakrid on May 27. Bakrid, also known as Eid-al-Adha, is a Muslim festival that commemorates the spirit of sacrifice. The festival is traditionally marked by the slaughtering of goats.
The government notification makes it mandatory for persons to obtain a certificate before slaughtering animals such as buffaloes, cows and bulls. It also prohibits public slaughter of the animals and states that officials carrying out inspections to enforce the order should not be obstructed.
On Thursday, the bench was dealing with a batch of petitions challenging the directive to strictly enforce the Animal Slaughter Control Act.
Petitioners, including Trinamool Congress MLA Akhruzzaman, and organisations representing Muslim groups and cattle traders,...