The Bombay High Court on Thursday issued a directive to civic bodies across Maharashtra, urging them to quickly address a plea from a Jain public charitable trust seeking a temporary ban on animal slaughter and the sale of meat. This request aligns with the upcoming Jain religious observance of ‘Paryushan Parv.’
The plea was brought forward by the Sheth Motishaw Lalbaug Jain Charities, which petitioned for an immediate decision from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the civic bodies of Pune, Mira Bhayandar, and Nashik. The trust seeks to enforce the ban from August 31 to September 7, coinciding with the religious festivities, citing the Jain principle of ‘ahimsa’ (non-violence) as a fundamental tenet.
The division bench, comprising Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Amit Borkar, stated that there was no legal obstacle preventing them from ordering the civic bodies to consider the trust’s request. “We accordingly direct the authorities to decide the representation of the petitioner seeking to impose a temporary ban on the slaughtering of animals and the sale of meat during August 31 to September 7. We urge the civic bodies to take a decision urgently since the festival commences on August 31,” the High Court declared.
