Court orders Indian government to reply on cattle ban

By Shuriah Niazi

NEW DELHI

The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the federal government to respond to challenges to its ban on the trade of cattle for slaughter.

Judges gave Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government two weeks to file its response to two petitions against the May 26 ban, which was made through an Environment Ministry notification under animal cruelty legislation. The next hearing was fixed for July 11.

One petition claims the provisions in the notification are unconstitutional as they violate fundamental rights such as freedom of religion and the right to livelihood.

Since Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party came to power three years ago, laws on the slaughter of cows, which Hindus consider sacred, were tightened and their slaughter was outlawed in most states.

Last month’s ban also applies to buffalo, which was widely used for meat and leather.

It triggered protests across the country, particularly among those working in leather and butchery -- trades dominated by Muslims.