Taking legal opinion for amendment in RPC after HC beef ban: National Conference

Srinagar: Opposition National Conference, on Friday, said it is consulting legal and constitutional experts on the beef ban with a view to effect suitable amendments in Jammu and Kashmir Constitution to preempt such situations from arising again in the future.

"NC is consulting legal and constitutional experts with a view to effect suitable amendments in relevant sections of the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC) in order to preempt such situations from arising again in the future," party's chief spokesperson Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi said here.

Mehdi said the eating choices should not be dictated by the State.

"In a multi-religious country like India religious beliefs of every community have to be respected and protected. This is enshrined in our constitution under Article 25.

Certain choices are determined by religious beliefs and cannot and also should not be dictated by the State," he said. He said the party believes that the recent tendency towards selective banning is regressive.

"We appeal to all sections of the society to respect the spirit of the constitution and provide enough space to all religions to follow their beliefs," the NC chief spokesman said.

Mehdi said, "The abject failure of the Mufti Government to place a cogent response to a PIL filed in the High Court, is either an act of gross incompetence or worse still part of a sinister plan," he said.

He claimed that the High Court in its interim order dated September 8 has observed that an appropriate response was not filed by the Government to the PIL number 24 of 2014 filed before the Jammu bench of the Court.

"National Conference believes that this has given rise to the present explosive situation and has deeply hurt the sentiments of the majority community," the chief spokesman said.