Citing concerns of public safety and hygiene, the Bombay High Court on Tuesday said it was impossible to accept any policy that permits slaughtering inside individual flats, referring to Bakri Eid.
A division bench of justices SC Dharmadhikari and GS Patel was hearing a petition by NGO Jiv Maitri Trust on a dispute over granting of temporary permission by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for slaughtering sheep or goats for festivals and special occasions.
Of immediate concern was the grant of permission for slaughtering during Bakri Eid which will be celebrated on August 12. The bench said in its interim order, "In our view, the requirements of public safety, hygiene and sanitation make it impossible to accept any policy that permits slaughtering inside individual flats."
The court reasoned that in a congested city where typical residential apartments are small, they find it difficult to believe it will be possible to make effective arrangements for humane, hygienic and safe methods of sacrificial killing of the animals in the confines of a residential flat.
Stressing that these apartments are homes to the very old as well as the very young, the court said that the concerns of health, hygiene and safety of all override any other concerns.
"Therefore the MCGM [BMC] is prohibited and restrained from accepting or granting permissions of slaughter inside any individual flat. It will not matter whether the application is made by an individual, a family or a group of individuals. We restrain all slaughtering within residential flats or accommodation," the HC said.
Safety, Hygiene
- The HC said flats in Mumbai are quite small where the elderly and young children live
- It raised concerns over safety & sanitation during animal sacrifice on Bakri Eid
- The petition had said BMC’s policy violated environmental and animal welfare laws
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