Chennai: The Madras high court has directed Chennai corporation to follow its earlier directives banning camel slaughter and warned authorities of consequences if existing rules on the issue are disregarded.
However, Chennai corporation officials seem to be working towards regulating slaughter of camels ahead of Bakrid, as they continue to stick to their original stand of it being a 'sensitive' issue, which is what that attracted the HC's ire in the first place.
On Tuesday, hearing a plea, the First Bench headed by the Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, is said to have been 'shocked' after being presented with evidence of camels brought to Washermanpet here from Rajasthan. "The CJ reminded the Government Pleader that camel slaughter is banned in Tamil Nadu and also warned that there will be consequences if untoward incidents happen," sources told DC.
"He was shocked because the people bringing camels had been allowed passage into the state when, as per law, they should have been detained at the state's border," the source said.
The lunch motion was moved by a nominated representative of the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), Radha Rajan. When contacted, she said the case was admitted and posted for hearing on Wednesday. "There were questions about the urgency of the motion, but it is a matter of life and death for the innocent animals. Any failure to deliver justice, and that too immediately, means the animals will be slaughtered," she said.
The development stems from the directives issued on writ petitions filed by E. Seshan, a former Zoological Survey of India employee and a wildlife photographer, and G. Arun Prasanna, general secretary, People for Cattle in India. Last month, the HC advised formation of a committee chaired by Secretary, Animal Husbandry, Dairy and Fisheries department.
The panel had representatives from Chennai Corporation, AWBI, Road transport, Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India and counsel for a petitioner, R. Srinivas.
While the committee met twice before September 14, which is the date when it was supposed to present its preliminary recommendations to the HC, it was also decided to bring the Chief Khazi to the Tamil Nadu Government on board the committee.
This was after Muslim organisations raised objections to the absence of a representative of their faith on the committee as the matter pertained to an occurrence during Bakrid.
When contacted, Srinivas told DC the officials on the committee seemed in favour of permitting slaughter. "The AWBI member and myself raised legal objections and wanted our disagreement to be recorded before suggestions were filed before the HC," said Srinivas, before adding that the committee missed the September 14 deadline. "The petition is slated for hearing on November 2," he added.
Corporation officials said Sections 296 and 298 of Chennai City Municipal Corporation Act would allow for public slaughter. A senior corporation official refused to comment as he said the issue was sub-judice. The Chief Khazi to the Tamil Nadu Government also refused to comment.
