New Delhi: With Bakrid fast approaching, several Bharatiya Janata Party- ruled states have reinforced bans on the slaughter of cattle, including cows, calves, buffaloes, camels, and other protected animals.
The West Bengal government, on May 13, issued a notification under the state’s Animal Slaughter Control Act, 1950, requiring a “fit certificate” from veterinary authorities before the slaughter of bulls, bullocks, cows, calves, and buffaloes. Animals above 14 years of age or those permanently incapacitated qualify under the new rules, the notification said.
On Thursday, May 21, the Calcutta High Court reserved its order and refused to interfere with West Bengal’s notification, noting that the order merely implemented directions earlier issued by the court itself in 2018.
Additional Solicitor General Ashoke Chakrabarti, appearing for the Union of India, submitted that animal sacrifice on Bakrid was an “optional” religious practice and not protected under Article 21. He said the notification flows from an unchallenged High Court order.
Echoing the statement, the Calcutta High Court cited an earlier ruling of the top court that held cow sacrifice as neither an essential part of Eid ul-Adha nor an obligatory religious practice in Islam.
The following day, on Friday, May 22, Delhi Development Minister Kapil Mishra issued instructions for the upcoming festival, restricting the slaughter of cattle, cows, calves, camels, and “other prohibited animals.”
“Sacrifice of bovine species, cows, calves, camels, and other prohibited animals on Bakrid is completely illegal, and criminal cases will be registered against those who do so,” the minister said. The guidelines banned the slaughter of animals in public places as well.
States with a total ban on the slaughter of cows and other bovine species include Gujarat, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Delhi.
These states also criminalise the possession, sale, and transport of beef.
States led by the BJP enforce significantly stricter animal slaughter laws, often correlating with heightened cow vigilantism. With Chief Ministers such as Yogi Adityanath actively backing these restrictions, unauthorised slaughter is treated as a major offence.
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Bihar, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Odisha, Goa, Assam, and West Bengal are states that practice a partial ban. The states prohibit the slaughter of cows outright but legally permit the slaughter of bulls, bullocks, or buffaloes if specific criteria are met. Similar to the Bengal notification, an authorised fit-for-slaughter certificate must be issued.