Gujarat HC reimposes meat ban near Somnath temple

Ahmedabad: A ban on the sale and preparation of non-vegetarian food near Gujarat's Somnath temple remained in force on Friday after the Gujarat High Court's division bench stayed an earlier ruling that had quashed the restriction, reversing the relief granted to restaurant owners within hours.

A single-judge bench had initially set aside the state government's August 10 notification, which prohibited the sale, storage, distribution and cooking of meat within half a kilometre of the temple and along roads leading to it in Veraval.

The order came in response to a petition by six restaurants challenging the restrictions. The state government immediately moved an appeal before a division bench after its request to temporarily suspend the single judge's decision was rejected.

The division bench subsequently stayed the order before it was formally published, restoring the restrictions. The next hearing in the matter is scheduled for December 26.

During earlier proceedings, the state government had defended the measure on the grounds of the temple's religious importance and the large number of pilgrims visiting the site. It also referred to similar restrictions around other religious centres.

The restaurant owners, however, argued that the authorities lacked legal powers to impose such restrictions under the relevant provision of the Gujarat Police Act. They also maintained that the decision threatened the livelihoods of restaurant operators and hundreds of employees, despite no evidence of public disturbances linked to meat sales.