Kerala HC refuses to stay Central government ban on sale of cows for slaughter

The Kerala High Court on Wednesday, June 7, refused to stay a Central government rule that bans the sale of cattle for slaughter. The court was hearing several petitions that were brought before it asking it to ban Rule 22 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Regulation of Livestock Markets) Rules, 2017.

The Kerala HC had earlier dismissed a petition against the "cow slaughter ban." It had observed that the Central government rules had not exactly banned cow slaughter. What had been banned was the sale of cattle for the purpose of slaughter. 

It may be noted that the Madras High Court has already put a four-week stay on the ban, and also given the Tamil Nadu and Central governments four weeks' time to respond to the notices it has sent to them. 

Kerala HC refusal

Justice PB Suresh Kumar was hearing a batch of petitions — one by Kerala MLA Hibi Eden and another by a cattle trader — when he refused to heed the arguments they were making in order to put a stay on the ban. Several politicians in Kerala had already said that the state would take legal recourse in this case. 

The petitioners had tried to argue that Rule 22 of the aforementioned law "directly encroaches on the legislative power of the State Legislatures." 

The plea by the cattle trader also said: "The petitioner's business has already affected to a huge extent since the supply of buffaloes for the purpose of slaughter is prohibited under the impugned Rules. The petitioner will have to close down his business, if the said impugned order is permitted to stay in the statute book."