Uttarakhand HC directed slaughtering at ‘legally compliant’ facilities can be carried out
The Uttarakhand High court, on Thursday, ruled a ban on all animal slaughter anywhere near the Haridwar area. However, the court ruled an exemption for July 10 as Bakr Eid approaches when Muslims will sacrifice animals to celebrate Bakr Eid.
Chief Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice RC Khulbe, division bench members, directed for the slaughter to take place in a “legally compliant” slaughterhouse and not on roads or anywhere publicly.
Haridwar was declared “slaughter-free” in March last year. The state government even cancelled clearances issued to the slaughterhouses in the district’s two municipal corporations, two in Nagar Palika Parishad and five in Nagar Panchayats.
A Haridwar resident, Faisal Hussain appealed to High Court that animal slaughter is a crucial religious practice for Muslims during Bakr Eid and that it should be allowed at an already constructed slaughterhouse in Manglore municipality.
Hussain’s advocate Kartikey Hari Gupta presented pictures from Bakr Eid last year where people could be seen slaughtering animals on the road as he stressed on the point that without a legally compliant slaughterhouse, animal slaughtering was still taking place.
Gupta also argued that if slaughtering is practised about 45 km away from Manglore from Haridwar town, this will ensure Hindu sentiments are not hurt in the process.
“The construction of Manglore slaughterhouse was completed in February 2021. In March, however, the government declared the entire Haridwar district slaughter-free.
We challenged this and said that Manglore is 45 km away from Haridwar town, thus it will not affect the religious sentiments of Hindus.
We also mentioned that the slaughterhouse was sanctioned by the government itself,” said Gupta in an interview with The Indian Express.
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