Tamil Nadu Appeals to Supreme Court Over Cow Slaughter Ban

The Tamil Nadu government has filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging a Madras High Court order that imposed a statewide ban on the slaughter of cows and calves. The state argues the judicial directive, issued on May 27, unlawfully overrides existing legislation that permits regulated animal slaughter.

The legal challenge stems from a public interest litigation filed by K. Surya Prasanth, the general secretary of the Hindu Makkal Katchi. The petitioner had sought directions to ensure that any slaughter of cows during the Islamic festival of Bakrid was confined to designated facilities and not conducted in public spaces. The state informed the High Court that authorities had already taken measures, including increased police surveillance and inspections, to enforce those existing rules.

However, the High Court's final order went further. After initially observing that slaughter should occur only in designated slaughterhouses, the bench of Justices G.R. Swaminathan and V. Lakshminarayan directed the state's chief secretary and police chief to ensure no cow or calf is slaughtered "on the eve of Bakrid or on any other day." The court cited Article 48 of the Constitution,...