Panel to prevent illegal animal slaughter

Mumbai: Responding to a petition filed by the Krishi Gau Seva Sangh, the Bombay high court on Thursday appointed a committee headed by a retired judge to examine if present laws were adequate to deal with illegal animal slaughter in the city.
The matter was heard by a division bench of chief justice Dalveer Bhandari and justice Dhananjay Chandrachud. The Sangh had said in its petition that cows were being slaughtered in several illegal abattoirs across the city.
Drawing attention specifically to the Bandra-Mahim belt, the petition had said cow bones in their hundreds could be found in the nullahs and roads of the area. Government pleader S R Nargolkar told the court that the superintendent of markets had carried out a survey which revealed no such violations.
The argument of the petitioner was that illegal abattoirs were slaughtering cows with impunity and that members of the Sangh be given policing powers to prevent slaughter wherever they saw it. Refusing to grant them any such powers, the high court appointed a committee headed by retired justice C Dharmadhikari. TNN