SC refuses beef ban plea hearing in Jammu
A plea was filed before the Supreme court to direct Jammu and Kashmir HC to hear petitions- one against beef ban and other in support of the ban at Jammu instead of Srinagar. A bench headed by Chief Justice of India H L Dattu refused to entertain the plea and said the petition will be heard by the designated three-judge bench at Srinagar.
A 150-year old provision RPC banning the sale of beef in the state has been strictly enforced by the Jammu and Kashmir High Court. These directions came after a PIL was filed by advocate Parimoksh Seth. Separatists leader Syed Geelani alleged that it was done on the behest of BJP and RSS to create communal violence in the state.
Ranbir Penal Code (RPC), the criminal code applicable in Jammu & Kashmir, makes the slaughter of bovine animals, and sale and purchase of beef, a punishable offence in the state and can lead to jail upto 10 years under certain sections.
Jammu & Kashmir High Court issued a notice to the state government on the beef ban and slaughter of bovine animals in the state. The court was hearing a writ petition challenging the constitutional validity of the ban. The petition was filed by Sayed Afzal Qadri, a former professor of law. The state was given a 1 week notice to file its response.
Additional Advocate General Vishal Sharma and the Deputy Advocate General Parimoksh Seth were sacked for their role in the controversial beef ban case. Government said Sharma failed to represent them adequately in court. Seth had filed the petition in court last year as a lawyer and he had pursued it even after being appointed the deputy advocate general.
A dozen people including a few photojournalists were injured in clashes that were caused due to J&K HC order to ban beef in the state. J&K government banned internet in the state for 2 days. Separatist leaders including Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Syed Ali Geelani were put under house arrest on the day of Eid.
An urgent hearing was insisted by senior advocate Amarendra Sharan who was appearing for the government. Supreme Court agreed to hear a plea by J&K government against two "conflicting" orders of the High Court which banned the sale of beef in the state and simultaneously removed the law that barred slaughter of bovine animals. Government insisted these orders were disturbing peace in the state.
The Supreme Court suspended the High Court order of enforcement of the 150 year old beef ban in Jammu and Kashmir for 2 months. The Court asked the Chief Justice of the High Court to set up a three-judge bench to go through the issue. It had been directed to find a solution at the earliest so that a peaceful resolution could be reached.
Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir High Court constituted a a three-member bench including Justice Ali Mohammad Magray, Justice Tashi Rabstan and Justice Muzuffar Attar to address the beef ban issue. J&K HC had granted three weeks time to the state government to file its response to a Public Interest Litigation that challenged the cow slaughter Act in the Ranbir Penal Code.
