By IANS
New Delhi : The Supreme Court has upheld a 1989 notification by the Gujarat government banning slaughter of bovine animals and sale of their meat in the state.
A bench of judges Arijit Pasayat and P. Sathasivam upheld the notification, dismissing a petition by Ahmedabad-based butcher Abdulsattar Yusufbhai Qureshi and others challenging the notification.
It said the apex court had already delved into the issue on various occasions in the past, dismissing the challenge to the ban on slaughter of bovine animals and the new petition could not be sustained as it raised no fresh grounds to challenge the ban.
The apex court judgement, delivered Tuesday and released Thursday, said: “This appeal is without merit, deserves dismissal which we direct.”
The petitioners had contended that the state government was not empowered to impose the ban.
They also contended that the ban affected their fundamental rights of carrying on their business of slaughter and sale of meat of bulls and bullocks and other animals and also affected their right to life.
The petitioners had earlier raised the same contention before the Gujarat High Court, which too had dismissed their appeal.
Seeking dismissal of the appeal, the Gujarat government counsel had then asserted that the matter has been conclusively decided by several judgements of the apex court.