The bench, therefore, refused relief in a slew of applications filed by meat and chicken shop owners seeking permission to continue their businesses, which they said were shut by the civic authorities.
The shops were shut on orders of the High Court passed in a public interest litigation (PIL) petition alleging that they were operating in violation of various mandatory norms.
The PIL petition sought implementation of the Supreme Court judgment and also the provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, which mandate that animals be slaughtered only in licensed slaughter houses.
As per the PIL petition, thousands of shops across Gujarat were selling ‘unstamped’ meat, which would mean meat not procured from slaughter houses but procured by killing animals in the local shops only.
The shop owners, however, argued that they have the right to carry on their own business and thus their profession must be protected.
Source: Barandbench
