At least three High Courts on Wednesday expressed displeasure at last-minute applications filed by parties seeking permission to either carry out or curb animal slaughter on Bakrid (Eid al-Adha), which is to be held on Thursday.
Here is what the courts said in response to such pleas.
Bombay High Court
A Division Bench of Justices GS Patel and Neela Gokhale was approached with an application by residents of Vishalgad Fort seeking permission to slaughter animals in the Fort premises.
While hearing the application, the Court expressed in no uncertain terms its displeasure with such last-minute applications being filed every year.
"We express our great displeasure that such applications are repeatedly made at the last minute. Bakri Eid has been on the calendar for the better part of the year,” the Court quipped.
Meanwhile, the petitioners sought for directions to the local civic authorities to consider their application seeking requisite permission urgently.
The Court specified that it was not going to grant any permission nor direct the authorities to grant permission.
"We are only directing that the application made by the Petitioner is to be considered urgently by the authorities in question," the Bench said.
Another petition filed by one Haresh Jain, a Mumbai resident, sought a direction to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Mumbai Police to stay the slaughtering of animals in his society as it allegedly hurt religious sentiments of residents.
In a hearing that took place at 7 PM today, the Court ruled that no illegal slaughtering of animals was to be allowed in the said society unless it was given the green signal by BMC.
Delhi High Court
A vacation bench of Justices C Hari Shankar and Manoj Jain refused to pass any orders on a plea demanding that no animal should be sacrificed outside licensed slaughterhouses on Eid al-Adha.
The Bench said that the petitioner, Ajay Gautam, had enough time to approach the Court, but chose to come a day before the festival.
It underlined that it will not pass any orders on the plea at the moment and sent the matter to a bench headed by Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma.
Gautam’s plea against cow slaughter is already pending before the Chief’s bench.
As the petitioner pressed for an observation that the authorities must follow the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Slaughter House) Rules, 2000, the Court said,
"Don’t overstay your welcome. You are not a newcomer to this Court. We have seen you here. Please maintain decorum."
Calcutta High Court
The Calcutta High Court refused to pass any last minute order directing authorities to ensure that no cow is slaughtered during the Bakri-Eid festival, which is slated to be observed on Thursday.
A Bench led by Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam slammed the petitioners for coming to the Court just a day before the festival.
"We hope you (petitioners) were aware about the calendar and the date when Bakri-Eid would be celebrated. Thus, you had enough time, yet you came just a day before the festival. You could have come at least 15 to 20 days before the festival. Now we can't do anything. So, please do not expect any order," CJ Sivagnanam remarked.
The remarks were made in response to a request made by an advocate seeking an urgent hearing of a PIL alleging that cows were being sold openly in markets across the State for the purpose of slaughter.
