Supreme Court refuses to interfere with plea against buffalo slaughter in Gujarat zoos

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday declined to interfere with a High Court order dismissing a PIL that challenged the slaughter of buffaloes inside the premises of two zoos in Gujarat for feeding captive wild animals.

A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta observed that the slaughter was not being carried out for commercial or human consumption purposes. 

The court said the rules governing slaughterhouses were meant for meat production and commercial activities, adding, “Let them manage the zoo as they want to.”

The petitioner, an NGO named Animal Welfare Foundation, argued through senior advocate Nikhil Goel that slaughtering animals within zoo premises required proper regulation, irrespective of whether it was for commercial purposes.

Goel submitted that such a practice was not followed in any other zoo in the country. 

While other zoos issue tenders for processed meat or ready food for carnivorous animals, the two zoos in Gujarat allow live buffaloes to be brought inside the premises and slaughtered on site.

He contended that the slaughter even for non-commercial purposes must comply with regulations and referred to the Supreme Court’s 2017 judgment in Common Cause versus Union of India. 

Pursuant to that judgment, the government had identified 24 regulations covering pre-slaughter, slaughter, and post-slaughter stages. 

Goel argued that most of these regulations would still apply even if the meat was not meant for human consumption.

The apex court, however, refused to entertain the plea.