Cattle sale ban: Madurai HC transfers case to another bench

MADURAI: The Madurai Bench of the Madras High court on Friday declined to extend the stay on the Central notification banning the sale and purchase of cattle for slaughter in animal markets and also transferred the case to another bench for further hearing. Justice G R Swaminathan, who along with Justice K Sasidharan heard the case, said that the bench was not in a position to hear the case now, as earlier he had appeared for the same case as assistant solicitor general for the Central government. Shri. Swaminathan was appointed as Judge of the Madras High Court on June 29.

On May 30, a division bench comprising Justices M V Muralidharan and C V Karthikeyan had granted interim stay for four weeks on two writ petition filed by S Selvagomathy and Asik Elahi Baba from Madurai challenging the constitutional validity of Rules (22) b (iii) and 22 (e) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Regulations of Live Stocks Markets) Rule 2017, that was notified by the Centre on May 23. The court observed that the subject of law under consideration is in the State list.

Subsequently, when the case came up for hearing before another division bench comprising Justice A Selvam and N Authinathan on June 28, the judges extended the stay till July 7, after the counsel who had appeared for the Cen-tral government sought time to file the counter affidavit. Today, the division bench headed by Sasidharan and Swaminathan transferred the case to another bench of this court. During the hearing the judges also mentioned that a similar case is pending in the Sup-reme Court, which is scheduled to be heard on July 11.