MADURAI: The Madras High Court yesterday extended by four more weeks the stay on the Centre's notification banning sale and purchase of cattle for slaughter from animal markets.
A division bench of justices A Selvam and N Authinatha extended the stay by another four weeks to enable the central government reply to a PIL petition by Selvagomathi, which was one among the several filed on May 30.
The notification was challenged on the ground that it violated the basic right of an individual in relation to his or her choice of food.
The judges had on May 30 stayed the operation of the new rules banning the sale or purchase of bulls, cows and camels for slaughter houses or for sacrifice for religious purposes.
The petitioner had submitted that the right to choice of food, vegetarian or non-vegetarian was part of the right to personal liberty and conscience as well as privacy.
By imposing a ban on the slaughter of animals for food, the citizens are deprived of their right to choice of food and this violated the constitution, Selvagomathy said.
The order came amid a raging row on the ban with non-BJP parties and state governments of Kerala, West Bengal and Puducherry stridently opposing the Centre's decision.
Several places in Kerala and Tamil Nadu have witnessed demonstrations during the past few days against the ban on sale of cattle for slaughter, with the protesters saying it infringed upon the food habits of sections of people.