Bombay HC asks Bhiwandi-Nizampur civic body to implement BMC policy for slaughter during Bakrid

The bench also sought presence of relevant officials from BNMC at the court on Tuesday so that the conditions regarding sacrificial rituals to be carried out in its jurisdiction so as to ensure the July, 2021 directions of the High Court, which restrained BNMC commissioner from granting permission for temporary slaughter houses, are not violated.

A division bench of Justices Anil K Menon and Makarand S Karnik, hearing interim application filed by Jiv Maitri Trust, was told by senior advocate Anil Anturkar that as per the trust’s affidavit, it was evident that BNMC had failed to take measures as per norms and rules and that the same was in violation of the Cruelty to Animals Act and Pollution Control Rules. Therefore, HC should ensure that violations committed last year are not repeated this year, the plea stated.

Anturkar argued that since BNMC did not have licensed abattoirs on the lines of Mumbai and Thane, the bench should direct that sacrificial animals from its jurisdiction to be taken to either of the two abattoirs for rituals.

However, advocate Joel Carlos for BMC submitted that Deonar abattoir has been working at its maximum capacity and therefore, the suggestion should not be accepted.

He added that the Assistant Municipal Commissioners (AMCs) of each of the 24 wards in the BMC area were giving permissions to shops licensed to conduct slaughtering of smaller animals and birds throughout the year to carry out sacrificial rituals during the festival period, adding that this is how the civic body was planning to manage the festivities.

Carlos said as the respective ward officials sought from local police to provide their personnel, there were almost no law and order situation in the city last year. The BMC lawyer informed the court that even though the policy did not specify any supervisory authority, it was a “normal practice” for seven Deputy Municipal Commissioners (DMCs) to act in the capacity over the AMCs.

In light of this, the bench directed advocate N R Bubna representing BNMC to implement the policy of BMC.

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