STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: A Division Bench of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court comprising Chief Justice N.Kotiswar Singh and Justice Sindhu Sharma directed S S Nanda, Senior Additional Advocate General to apprise the Court about the completion of slaughter house(s) in Srinagar and Adv Harshwardhan Gupta, counsel, on behalf of Jammu Municipal Corporation, regarding latest stage of upgradation of slaughter house(s) which are under construction at Jammu.
These directions were passed in a much publicized Public Interest Litigation (PIL) No.06/2018 filed by an NGO working for Welfare of Animals (SAVE) through its Chairperson Devinder Kaur Madaan alias Rumpy Madaan seeking closure of un-regulated and un-registered/un-licensed slaughter houses/meat shops in the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir including Jammu/Srinagar Cities. The PIL further sought directions to the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir/ JMC/SMC to establish modern slaughter houses in both capital cities and slaughter houses already existing in the various Districts/Tehsil Headquarters be modernized as per the directions of the Apex Court in the case of Laxmi Narayan Modi V/s Union of India & Ors. When the PIL came-up for hearing, DB after hearing Adv Sheikh Shakeel Ahmed for the PIL , observed that in terms of order dated February 14, 2023, the Deputy Commissioner, Jammu and Srinagar, were directed to file a composite compliance report by the next date in terms of earlier order dated December 13, 2022, but the same has not been filed till date.
DB directed the same be filed by or before the next date of hearing with an advance copy thereof to the other side. DB further directed S S Nanda, Senior Additional Advocate General shall also apprise this Court about the completion of the slaughter house(s) in Srinagar and Harshwardhan Gupta, counsel on behalf of the Jammu Municipal Corporation also may apprise this Court of the latest stage of upgradation of the slaughter house(s) which are under construction at Jammu. DB further directed DSGI Vishal Sharma may file status report in respect to UT of Ladakh pursuant to order dated December 13, 2022.
DB expects the authorities to submit the report by the next date of hearing and list this PIL on April 24, 2023. During the course of hearing, Vishal Sharma, DSGI appeared on behalf of UT of Ladakh and submitted that Status report has been prepared in respect to UT of Ladakh and will be filed by the next date. DB directed that he may do so with an advance copy of the same to counsel for the petitioner.
