'Did not issue any halal certificate to iron bars or cement': Jamiat Ulama objects to SG's remarks in Supreme Court

In a rejoinder affidavit, the trust said statements were “completely incorrect, vexatious, and scandalous”.

New Delhi: The Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind Halal Trust has objected before the Supreme Court to a statement by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta that halal certifying agencies have made "few lakh crores" out of the certification process.

The statement was made during the last hearing on January 20, 2025.

In a rejoinder affidavit, it said statements were “completely incorrect, vexatious, and scandalous”.

The trust is one of the petitioners challenging the Uttar Pradesh government's ban on halal-certified products.

On January, 20, Mehta had submitted before a bench led by Justice B R Gavai that "I was shocked, even cement used is to be halal-certified! Sariyas (iron bars) used, have to be halal-certified”.

He had stressed that halal-certifying agencies were charging for the certification and the total amount collected in the process might be upto a few lakh crores.

Citing non-believers, who did not consume halal-certified products, Mehta asked why they should be made to pay a higher price only because some people wanted halal-certified products.

The trust, represented by senior advocate M R Shamshad, in its written response to the court, said, "The statements of the central government are completely incorrect, vexatious, and scandalous. The said statements are without any basis".

The petitioner asked the court to direct the Centre for disclosure of the fact as to which officer instructed Mehta to make such statements before the court as these statements have caused serious prejudice to the concept of halal, which is considered to be one of the basic requirements of behaviour and lifestyle of a very large community in the country.

The rejoinder added that it is a serious issue of religious belief and practice of a large section of Indian citizenry and the same is protected under Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution.

The trust said that the “central government has sought to selectively target only the halal certifications. Certifications like Kosher are still prevalent and being sold in different parts of the country, including Uttar Pradesh, even on products like apple cider (vinegar) etc”.

It claimed the Halal certification, mostly, if not all, are consumer driven and it is a business decision of manufacturing companies to opt for such certification.

The trust made it clear that it neither suggests or compels any manufacturing companies, whether it is non-vegetarian food, vegetarian food or edible food or any ancillary items associated with food, to have halal certifications.

On Mehta’s submissions, the petitioner said it has not issued any halal certification to either iron or cement.