LUCKNOW: The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court on Friday, in an interim order, directed the Uttar Pradesh government to issue fresh licences and no-objection certificates to meat traders besides ensuring renewal of the old ones by July 17.
This is likely to facilitate the restoration of trade which had come to a standstill following a crackdown on illegal slaughterhouses by the State.
The court said it was the State government’s responsibility to ensure reopening of the slaughterhouses and meat shops which were closed down due to the non-renewal of the licence after March 31, 2017.
The court also directed the traders to approach district magistrate, divisional commissioner and district panchayat authorities to apply for fresh licences or renewal of the old ones. As per the order, even slaughterhouses that were shut down could apply for renewal of licences.
However, it added that all slaughterhouses and meat shops would be deemed as illegal and would not be allowed to run till the renewal of the licences.
A bench of Justices AP Shahi and Justice Sanjay Harkauli directed the government to file a compliance report in the court on the next date of hearing on July 17.
Putting the onus of regulating the slaughterhouses on the State government, Justice Shahi said the State government could not shy away from its responsibility of reopening the meat shops.
While Advocate General Raghvendra Singh represented the State, advocate BK Singh pleaded for the petitioners.
The interim order also directed the local bodies to identify the land and location for construction of new slaughterhouses conforming to the norms. It also authorised the Food and Safety department to issue
new licences.
The order was passed by the bench while hearing the public interest litigations on the issue and the clubbed writ petitions filed by individual traders seeking renewal of licences of meat shops.
Raghvendra Singh said that with the enforcement of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, all other laws related to food and safety had become redundant.
However, the court observed that all provisions in local acts (Nagar Panchayats) had not been incorporated in the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
During the hearing of the case, the advocate general also pointed out that the government’s directive was not against establishments operating legally.
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath had imposed a ban on all illegal slaughterhouses in the State immediately after assuming office on March 19 thereby fulfilling the promise made in the BJP manifesto for the Assembly elections.
5 persons beaten up for illegal slaughter
New Delhi: Five people were beaten up by a mob after being caught slaughtering a buffalo illegally on the premises of a private dairy in Gandhi Park area in Aligarh district. According to sources, a cattle trader named Imran and a dairy owner Kalu Baghel were caught in the act by local residents who then thrashed them. The police later controlled the situation.