Supreme Court stays Centre's notification on sale of cattle for slaughter

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered a nationwide stay on Central government’s new rules that had banned the trade of cattle for slaughter.

While delivering its order, a bench of Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar and Justice DY Chandrachud said the Madras High Court's stay on Centre's notification on sale of cattle, including cows for slaughter will continue and would cover the entire country.

As the top court extended the operation of the High Court order, the Centre told the court that it would be renotifying the Rules after considering objections from the stakeholders.

The SC took note of the statement of the Central government that it was reconsidering the notification by taking into account various objections and suggestions of stakeholders and would come up with an amended notification.

"Needless to say that the interim direction issued by the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court shall continue and extend to the entire country," the bench said.

The order was passed on a petition filed by a Hyderabad-based advocate who had challenged the ban order.

The lawyer, Mohammed Abdul Faheem Qureshi, challenged the May 26 notification as "arbitrary, illegal, and unconstitutional" and contended that it was "against the freedom of religious practice to sacrifice the animals" and violated the right to food, privacy and personal liberty guaranteed by the Constitution.

The Centre had on May 23 issued the notification banning sale and purchase of cattle from animal markets for slaughter, a move that is expected to hit export and trade of meat and leather.

The Environment Ministry had notified the stringent 'Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Regulation of Livestock Markets) Rules, 2017' under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.

The Madras High Court in May had stayed for four weeks the Centre's notification banning sale and purchase of cattle for slaughter

The HC order had come amid a raging row on the ban with non-BJP parties and state governments of Kerala, West Bengal and Puducherry stridently opposing the Centre's decision.