Paryushan Parv: PIL In Bombay High Court Seeks Temporary Ban On Animal Slaughter, Sale Of Meat Across Maharashtra

A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition has been filed in the Bombay High Court seeking a temporary ban on the slaughtering of animals and sale of meat across Maharashtra from August 31, 2024 to September 7, 2024, in view of the 'Paryushan Parv' a prominent festival of the Jain Community.

A division bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Amit Borkar is likely to hear the petition on Thursday morning.

The petitioner - Sheth Motishaw Lalbaug Jain Charities, in their PIL, filed through advocates Shreyash Shah and Udayan Mukherjee, state that the petitioner and around 30 other Jain charitable trusts have made various representations to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and other civic bodies in Maharashtra, seeking a temporary ban on slaughtering of animals during the Paryushan Parv, between August 21, 2024 to August 23, 2024.

"The Jain community constitutes a sizeable population in Maharashtra. The community is aggrieved by the 'conduct' of the respondent authorities in not deciding the representations. The issue affects the religious sentiments of the jain community. The festival marks a period of spritiual reflection, self-purification and adherence to the principles of ahimsa (non-violence). It is observed globally by members of the community and is a period of intense spiritual practices including fasting, meditation and heightened observance of non-violence as they seek to deepen their spiritual awareness and commitment to living a life of compassion and minimal harm," the PIL reads.

Notwithstanding the sacred nature of the festival, the members of the community are forced to witness the animal slaughter which continues during the period in almost all parts of Maharashtra.

"This ongoing practice not only contradicts the very ethos of the festival but also creates an environment of dissonance and conflict between the values of non-violence that the festival represents and the realities of animal slaughter. This situation adversely affects the sentiments of the Jain community, who find it deeply troubling to witness such practices at a time when they are striving to embody compassion and non-violence," the plea highlights.

Further, the petition after referring to various historic and religious scriptures, also refers to the era when India was ruled by Mughals.

It states, "The importance of the restrictions as prayed in this petition can be traced back to the reign of Mughal Emperors Akbar and even Nawab Walid Ali Shah of Awadh, where ban on slaughter of animals were imposed for as long as six months with the view to promote universal tolerance in the country of great diversity."

The petition was mentioned before the bench on Wednesday morning. The judges, however, said it would likely hear the PIL petition on Thursday.