Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 9: A Division Bench of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court comprising Chief Justice N Kotiswar Singh and Justice Sindhu Sharma has directed SS Nanda, Senior Additional Advocate General and Advocate Harshwardhan Gupta to apprise the court about the completion and modernization of the slaughter houses in Srinagar and Jammu.
The direction was passed in the much publicized Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by an NGO working for the 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 seeks directions to the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir/ JMC/SMC to establish modern slaughter houses in both capital cities and the 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 Advocate Sheikh Shakeel Ahmed for the PIL , observed, “in terms of order dated 14.02.2023, the Deputy Commissioner, Jammu and Srinagar, were directed to file a composite compliance report by the next date in terms of earlier order dated 13.12.2022, but the same has not been filed till date”.
The DB directed that 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 the 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 the court of the latest stage of upgradation of the slaughter house(s) which are under construction at Jammu.
DB further directed DSGI Vishal Sharma to file status report in respect to UT of Ladakh pursuant to order dated 13.12.2022. “We expect the authorities to submit the report by the next date of hearing and list this PIL on 24.04.2023”, the DB added.