No slaughter of goats and sheep inside flats, houses on Bakrid: Bombay HC

The Bombay high court on Tuesday banned the slaughter of sheep and goats in flats and homes during the forthcoming Eid festivities. 

A division bench of Justice Satyaranjan Dharmadhikari and Justice Gautam Patel restrained the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) from giving such permissions for slaughter inside flats and houses.

The bench further allowed the corporation to give permission for slaughtering animals in housing societies, but has introduced a rider that approval should not be granted if the society is located within one kilometre walking distance from a community space for slaughtering, including a religious slaughtering space.

"In our view, the requirements of public safety, hygiene and sanitation makes it impossible to accept any policy that permits slaughtering inside individual flats. In a city that is as densely crowded and congested as Mumbai and where typical residential apartments are small, we do not believe it is possible to make effective arrangements for human, hygienic and safe methods of sacrificial slaughter within a residential flat. Many of these flats are homes for the very old or the very young (or both). We believe these concerns override all others," said the judges. "We restrain all slaughtering within residential flats or accommodations," added the judges.

The court has asked BMC to "strictly and stringently maintain all applicable safety, hygienic and public safety norms and requirements and to move expeditiously against all violations."