Prayagraj, UP: The Allahabad High Court ruled that the state of Uttar Pradesh's law banning cow slaughter does not forbid the transportation of beef.
On November 20, Justice Pankaj Bhatia issued the directive in response to a plea filed by a man going by the name of Vaseem Ahmad. On Thursday, the order was made public.
Ahmad was one of four people arrested in 2021 for allegedly trafficking meat under the UP Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act, 1955. Since he was the owner of one of the motorcycles that the accused rode, a case was brought against him, Scroll.in reported.
The district magistrate of Fatehpur then issued an order to confiscate his motorbike based on a police report. Ahmad subsequently went to the High Court, requesting that his vehicle be released while the legal matter was being handled.
Justice Bhatia stated that transporting beef throughout the state is not illegal under the legislation.
“The restrictions on transportation in terms of the Act and the Rules framed thereunder is only applicable in respect of transportation of cow, bull or bullock that too in any place in Uttar Pradesh from any place outside the state,” the judge said. “In the entire Act or the rules, there exists no provision barring transportation of beef.”
According to Justice Bhatia, the Act's Section 5A only prohibits the import of cows, bulls, or bullocks into Uttar Pradesh from outside the state.
“There is no bar or restriction of transport of beef even from any place outside the State to any place inside the State,” he said. “In the present case, the allegation being alleged [of] transportation of beef on a vehicle [motorcycle] within two places in the state is neither prohibited nor even regulated.”
The High Court ordered Ahmed to provide a Rs 5,000 bond before releasing his motorbike.