Bombay HC rejects State's plea to lift stay on bullocks during Eid

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court has rejected Maharashtra Government's plea to lift the stay granted by a bench of the same court earlier on transporting another 12,000 bullocks to abattoir at suburban Deonar for slaughter on the occasion of Bakri-Eid falling on October 6.

Around 5,000 bullocks are slaughtered at Deonar Abattoir every day. The State had issued a notification allowing additional 12,000 bullocks to be brought to the city for Bakri-Eid. However, the Court had stayed the Government order on September 30.

The State and two petitions had pleaded that the stay be lifted or else there could be a law and order problem. "Orders of the Court do not lead to communal violence or law and order problem. Even after the verdict in the Ayodhaya case, not a single brick was thrown or a bus burnt. People of this country still have faith in judiciary," said Justice VM Kanade and PD Kode on Wednesday while rejecting State's plea to vacate stay on transporting 12,000 bullocks.

The judges noted that the State had not provided any material to support its argument that there could be a law and order problem due to the stay granted on transporting bullocks to the Deonar abattoir.

In a related development, another bench of the same court refused to grant relief to 11 members of the Muslim community who pleaded the court to allow sacrifice of animals greater than goats in housing societies and temporary slaughter house in the city.

The petitioners had pleaded that temporary slaughter houses may be allowed in housing societies as there were insufficient facilities at Deonar Abattoir to cater to the demand for slaughter of animals during Bakri-Eid.

According to the rules framed by the State Government, bigger animals like bullocks can be slaughtered only in an Abattoir. The bench headed by Justice Anoop Mohota said relief cannot be granted to the petitioners as there were similar petitions pending before the court wherein no such relief had been given.

All the petitions were clubbed together for hearing and the matter was posted for hearing after Diwali vacations.