3 min readBhopalUpdated: Dec 23, 2024 08:29 AM IST
Ordering the municipal corporation to issue an NOC, the court said the petitioner shall be permitted to set up a slaughterhouse after taking consent under Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 and other applicable laws, if any. (File Photo)
The Madhya Pradesh High Court has said that denying a permit for the establishment of a slaughterhouse on the grounds that a city is “religious” is “wholly unacceptable”.
In its order on December 17, a bench of Justice Pranay Verma observed that the state government’s notification under the Madhya Pradesh Municipalities Act, 1961, declaring a 100-metre radius in Mandsaur city a sacred area “does not imply that the entire city should be considered as sacred”.
The court said, “The reason as has been taken in the return that Mandsaur is a religious city hence permission for establishment of a slaughter house cannot be given is wholly unacceptable. The issue is regulated by specific legal provisions and even the notification which has been issued by the State Government on 09.12.2011 has declared an area of only 100 meter in radius to be a sacred area. Only for issuance of such a notification the entire city cannot be considered to be a sacred area. The stand as taken in the return by respondent hence cannot be accepted.”
Ordering the municipal corporation to issue an NOC, the court said the petitioner shall be permitted to set up a slaughterhouse after taking consent under Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 and other applicable laws, if any. “The slaughtering of animals shall be permissible in the said slaughterhouse, but not without the consent under the aforesaid Acts and other applicable laws,” the court said.
The municipal corporation had rejected the application on the ground that Mandsaur is a sacred city.
“The process of identifying a suitable place of land for setting up of a slaughterhouse is under process. Mandsaur is a city of utmost religious significance, therefore, it would cause great prejudice and hurt religious sentiments if permission for a slaughterhouse is given. Since the matter is sensitive, the City Superintendent of Police, Mandsaur, and Officer-in-Charge of City Kotwali, Mandsaur have also requested that such permission should not be given to the petitioner,” the corporation submitted.
The petitioner, Sabir Hussain, challenged the order passed by the Chief Municipal Officer, Municipal Council, Mandsaur, on December 1, 2021, refusing to grant a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for carrying out slaughter of buffaloes and trading in meat in the city of Mandsaur.
Story continues below this ad
The petitioner argued that a 2011 state government notification has designated only a 100-m radius as “sacred”, and thus a slaughterhouse could be permitted beyond that area. After his application was rejected, the petitioner moved the HC.
Anand Mohan J is an award-winning Senior Correspondent for The Indian Express, currently leading the bureau’s coverage of Madhya Pradesh. With a career spanning over eight years, he has established himself as a trusted voice at the intersection of law, internal security, and public policy.
Based in Bhopal, Anand is widely recognized for his authoritative reporting on Maoist insurgency in Central India. In late 2025, he provided exclusive, ground-level coverage of the historic surrender of the final Maoist cadres in Madhya Pradesh, detailing the backchannel negotiations and the "vacuum of command" that led to the state being declared Maoist-free.
Expertise and Reporting Beats
Anand’s investigative work is characterized by a "Journalism of Courage" approach, holding institutions accountable through deep-dive analysis of several key sectors:
National Security & Counter-Insurgency: He is a primary chronicler of the decline of Naxalism in the Central Indian corridor, documenting the tactical shifts of security forces and the rehabilitation of surrendered cadres.
Judiciary & Legal Accountability: Drawing on over four years of experience covering Delhi’s trial courts and the Madhya Pradesh High Court, Anand deconstructs complex legal rulings. He has exposed critical institutional lapses, including custodial safety violations and the misuse of the National Security Act (NSA).
Wildlife Conservation (Project Cheetah): Anand is a leading reporter on Project Cheetah at Kuno National Park. He has provided extensive coverage of the biological and administrative hurdles of rewilding Namibian and South African cheetahs, as well as high-profile cases of wildlife trafficking.
Public Health & Social Safety: His recent investigative work has uncovered systemic negligence in public services, such as contaminated blood transfusions causing HIV infections in thalassemia patients and the human cost of the fertilizer crisis affecting rural farmers.
Professional Background
Tenure: Joined The Indian Express in 2017.
Locations: Transitioned from the high-pressure Delhi City beat (covering courts, police, and labor issues) to his current role as a regional lead in Madhya Pradesh.
Notable Investigations: * Exposed the "digital arrest" scams targeting entrepreneurs.
Investigated the Bandhavgarh elephant deaths and the impact of kodo millet fungus on local wildlife.
Documented the transition of power and welfare schemes (like Ladli Behna) in Madhya Pradesh governance.
Digital & Professional Presence
Author Profile: Anand Mohan J at Indian Express
Twitter handle: @mohanreports ... Read More
