Refusing to interfere with the West Bengal government’s notification ahead of Eid al-Adha, the Calcutta High Court said the directive simply followed the court’s earlier 2018 order on restrictions related to animal slaughter.
Published: May 21, 2026 10:35 PM IST
Refusing to stay the notification issued by the West Bengal government ahead of Eid al-Adha, the Calcutta High Court said on Thursday that the order simply followed directions previously passed by the court in 2018 regarding restrictions on animal slaughter.
The controversy is over the new state guidelines governing the slaughter of animals. The notice, issued on May 13 by the Suvendu Adhikari government, said no animal, including cows, bulls, buffaloes and calves, can be slaughtered without a fitness certificate issued by authorised local officials and a government veterinary surgeon.
The petitioners contended that several conditions mentioned in the notice are inconsistent with the provisions of the 1950 law and the rules made under it. The West Bengal government and other authorities, including the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and police, told the court that the notice merely followed earlier instructions issued by the Calcutta High Court in 2018.
However, the West Bengal government, Kolkata Municipal Corporation and police authorities argued that the notice merely implemented earlier guidelines laid down by the Calcutta High Court in 2018.
“This is also not in dispute that the order passed by the coordinate Bench in WP 328 of 2018 has attained finality. In this view of this matter, we find no basis to stay or set aside the public notice dated 13.05.2026. Thus, these petitions are dismissed so far notice dated 13.05.2026 is concerned,” the Bench said.
The Court was hearing a batch of petitions challenging the guidelines issued by the West Bengal government under the West Bengal Animal Slaughter Control Act ahead of Bakrid next week.
In its public notice issued on May 13, the state government said that bulls, bullocks, cows, calves and buffaloes cannot be slaughtered without a certificate declaring them unfit.
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The Calcutta High Court declined to put the notice on hold, stating that the state had the authority to examine if there was an adequate system for issuing certificates under the Act and Rules.
A Division Bench chaired by Sujoy Paul refused to interfere with the notice, saying the 2026 directive was largely rooted in a 2018 court order that had attained finality since it was never challenged.
