CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Tuesday ordered notice to the State government on a public interest litigation moved by an NGO seeking to prohibit the slaughter of cows, calves, milch and draught cattle. The petitioner stated that there is no law relating to abattoir waste while there are laws to handle solid and other hazardous wastes.
The first bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy directed the State and the pollution control board to file a detailed report in 10 weeks. According to the petitioner, Gouhar Azeez and Akil Bharath Krishi Goseva Sangh, the department of animal husbandry has failed to put in place policy and measures to prohibit the slaughter of cows, calves, milch and draught cattle as envisaged under Article 48 of the Constitution and to protect and improve the environment for such animals.
Though two Government Orders dated August 30, 1976, and May 26, 1987, were passed for the purpose, they remain only on paper without enforcement in its true letter and spirit, advocate S P Vijayaragavan said representing the petitioner.