Bombay HC Grants Leave To Jain Charities To Challenge Govt Notification Restricting Meat Sale Only On First And Last Day Of Paryushan Parva

Through the Government Notification dated 29th June 2019, the State government had issued directions to all the municipal corporations that there should be no slaughtering of animals or sale of meat during the first and last day of Paryushan Parva.

The division bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Amit Borkar on 29 August had ordered all the municipal corporations in Maharashtra to urgently decide the representations made by Charitable Trusts of the Jain community, seeking a temporary ban on the slaughtering of animals and sale of meat because of the festival.

On Wednesday, during the hearing, one of the petitioners requested a ban on the sale of meat on 7 September. However, the Court said that it would not grant this relief.

Noting that notifications of the ban on slaughtering animals are issued by municipal corporations every year, the Court orally remarked that “Every year such kind of notifications are issued..time is short, court is unable to adjudicate the issue finally. So what are intending to do is to decide the issue finally so that from next year there is no question of issuing such notifications.”

With these observations, it allowed the petitioners to amend their petition for challenging the Government Notification dated 29th June 2019 and any other Government Notification.

The Court issued notice to the respondent authorities and directed them to file an affidavit-in-reply in 4 weeks.

Case Title: Sheth Motishaw Lalbaug Jain Charities vs The State Of Maharashtra Through Office Government Pleader (Pil(L)/27151/2024), Shree Trustee Atma Kamal Labdhisurishwarji Jain Gyanmandir Trust Trough Its Trustee vs The State Of Maharashtra Through The Department Of Urban Development (2 Pil(L)/27210/2024) and Sheth Bherulalji Kanaiyalalji Kothari Religious Trust vs The State Of Maharashtra Through The Secretary, Ministry Of Urban Development (Pil(L)/27421/2024)