Jharkhand HC Orders Crackdown on Unauthorized Meat Shops in the State

The Jharkhand High Court has directed the superintendents of police in all districts to furnish reports on actions taken against unauthorized meat shops operating within their jurisdictions.

During a hearing on a public interest litigation filed by Shyamanand Pandey, a division bench comprising Justices Sujit Narayan Prasad and Arun Kumar Rai addressed the issue of open meat sales. Pandey noted that despite specific directives from both the high court and the Supreme Court, illegal meat shops persist throughout the state.

“Carcasses of dead animals are hung out on the open across the roads in the capital in gross violation of rules of the municipal corporation. The shops are run without licenses and operate freely by the roadside,” the plea stated.

The Ranchi Municipal Corporation informed the court that it has taken action against illegal butcher shops in the state capital. The petitioner informed the court that although a slaughterhouse has been commissioned in Kanke, very few meat shop owners take animals there for slaughtering.

The matter has been scheduled for further hearing on April 23, 2024.