Cattle slaughter notification: Kerala Govt to hold special assembly session

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Assembly on Thursday will hold a special session to discuss the Central Government's notification on sale and purchase of cattle from animal markets for slaughter.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan last week said that the state government will challenge the Centre's notification banning sale and purchase of cattle for slaughter at animal markets.

The decision comes days after Vijayan wrote to his counterparts appealing them to stand together and oppose the "anti-federal" move.

There has been a wide opposition of the Central Government's order, with many states openly denying accepting the notification.

In some places, people even hosted 'beef fest' to protest against the Centre's decision. A beef fest was organised by IIT-Madras opposing the same.

Similarly, the Karnataka, Kerala and Tripura Governments have said they will not implement the Centre's order.

Union Minister Harsh Vardhan has ordered that the ministry has notified the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Regulation of Livestock Markets) Rules, 2017 to ensure that the sale of cattle is not meant for slaughter purposes.

He said the seller and buyer both have to ensure that the cattle is not being bought or sold across the country's livestock markets market for slaughter purposes.

The rules also state that the purchaser shall not sacrifice the animal for any religious purpose or sell it to a person outside the state without permission and must keep in with the state's cattle protection laws.