Madras High Court rules that private schools must publish full fee structure on website and notice board

The coalition government led by C. Joseph Vijay in Tamil Nadu has approached the Supreme Court regarding restrictions on cow slaughter. Previously, on May 27, the Madras High Court completely banned cow slaughter in Tamil Nadu, which occurred the day before the Bakrat festival.

Challenging the High Court's Decision

The Tamil Nadu government challenged the High Court's decision, which introduced a complete ban on the slaughter of cows and calves. Bans on livestock slaughter vary from complete to partial in different regions. For example, after the change of power in West Bengal, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government issued a notification banning the killing of any livestock without a fitness certificate.

Tamil Nadu Government's Stance

The Tamil Nadu government stated in the Supreme Court that the High Court's order contradicts the Tamil Nadu Animal Preservation Act of 1958. This law permits the slaughter of cows older than 10 years that are unfit for work or breeding, provided there is a certificate from a competent authority. Furthermore, the government pointed to the existence of other laws, such as the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act of 1960 and the 2001 Slaughterhouse Rules, which regulate slaughter conditions but do not impose a complete ban.

Madras High Court's Ruling

The Madras High Court made its decision based on a public petition filed by Surya Parasnath, General Secretary of the Hindu Makkal Kachchi. Initially, the petitioners demanded guidelines for slaughtering animals only in specific locations, but the High Court imposed a complete ban on the slaughter of cows and calves anywhere and at any time. The decision was made by the bench of judges G.R. Swaminathan and V. Lakshminarayanan on the eve of Bakrat, based on a government order asserting the necessity of banning cow slaughter to increase milk production and support the rural economy.

Livestock Slaughter Legislation

Slaughter legislation differs across various states nationwide. A complete ban means halting the killing of cows, calves, bulls, and bullocks. In some places, only cows and calves are banned, while the slaughter of bulls, bullocks, and buffaloes is permitted, as their meat is cheaper than chicken, fish, and goat meat and forms part of the poor's diet. It is important to note that there is no single federal law at the national level, as this is a state matter.

Practices in Other States

In West Bengal, the government issued a notification citing the 1950 laws and the Calcutta High Court's 2018 ruling, establishing a complete ban on the killing of any livestock without a fitness certificate. According to the BJP government led by Subendu Adhikari, the certificate is issued jointly by the municipality head, panchayat committee head, and state veterinarian, and it can only be issued to animals older than 14 years, incapable of breeding, old, injured, disabled, or suffering from incurable diseases.

Similar permissions exist in Assam, but there the age of cows must exceed 10 years. In most states, the slaughter of both male and female calves is prohibited. Bihar and Rajasthan have set an age limit for calves under three years, whereas other states have not defined a clear calf age. According to the National Livestock Commission, in Maharashtra, the definition of a calf within executive directives was less than one year.