Lighthouse

Author(s): Udayvallabhvijay
Publisher: Pragna Prabodh Parivar

Page 70

Supreme Court for almost 15 years before being decided and it became famous by the name of Calcutta Bakri-Id case. The facts of the case in brief were as under: In the State of West Bengal, their State law titled “The West Bengal Animal Slaughter Control Act, 1950” regulated slaughter of animals (remember, there is no prohibition on slaughter of even cows in that State). Certain conditions were prescribed for such slaughter based on age, utility etc. However, there was an exemption permitting slaughter for religious purposes and using this exemption lakhs of healthy cows were slaughtered on the occasion of Bakri-Id. Some persons challenged this provision and the Calcutta High Court held that such exemption was illegal. The State appealed before the Supreme Court and the Supreme Court upheld the Calcutta High Court's judgement. The State and the Muslim Community could not produce any religious text before the Supreme Court to establish that slaughter of cow on Bakri-Id was a religious necessity for Muslims. The judgement was delivered in strong terms by Justice Kuldeep Singh (mind well, he was not a Jain !) and ever since the slaughter of cows on Bakri-Id day is legally not permitted in West Bengal. Not only this, advertisements are released before Bakri-Id in prominent news papers all over the State informing people that cows cannot be slaughtered on Bakri-Id. Are Jains behind all these facts, judgements, laws etc. ? (it is another thing that they feel happy about such judgements and welcome them as they further the cause of nonviolence).
Lighthouse
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