Gujarat HC Reprimands State Govt and AMC over Stray Cattle Menace

The Gujarat High Court has reprimanded the state government and the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) for their lack of action in formulating and implementing adequate policies or guidelines to tackle the problem of stray cattle.

A bench of Justice AS Supehia and Justice MR Mengedey directed the State Government to promptly devise a comprehensive policy or issue administrative directives to address the issue of rampant cattle in the entire state.

“It is not disputed that stray incidents of death due to Cattle Menace have not stopped. It is noticed by us that even the officers, who are on ground and are enforcing the directions issued by this Court are being assaulted by the perpetrators. The orders also reflect that in fact, other States have already framed the guidelines / policy / law to answer the Cattle Menace however, in the present case, despite various directions issued by this Court, no law in form of instructions or guidelines is framed,” the bench stated.

During the proceedings, Senior Advocate Mihir Joshi, representing the respondent Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, informed the court that a policy addressing the cattle menace had been formulated but was returned by the Standing Committee in April 2023 for further examination. When questioned about the corporation’s intentions to frame a policy, Joshi assured the court that the matter would be re-evaluated by the Standing Committee.

The court observed that it had consistently issued directions to 156 Nagarpalikas (municipalities) and 8 corporations in the state, urging compliance with its orders and directives. However, even after four years, neither the respondent corporation nor the state government had developed concrete policies, guidelines, or administrative instructions to regulate the cattle menace.

The court expressed disappointment over the situation, stating, “From the orders passed by the Coordinate Bench and this Court, it is evident that neither the respondent corporation is seriously considering the impact of the Cattle Menace nor is the State authority inclined to address the issue immediately, thus risking the lives and causing grievous or fatal injuries to citizens.”

The court criticized the state government for its lack of action and emphasized the urgency of implementing measures to prevent further loss of life or injuries caused by the cattle menace.

The order was issued in a contempt petition that highlighted the non-compliance of court orders and directions issued in a public interest litigation since 2017, which focused on maintaining traffic and road conditions and controlling cattle-related issues.

The matter is scheduled for further hearing on July 19, 2023.