In a move that is likely to have nationwide ramifications, the Himachal Pradesh High Court on Wednesday directed the Central government to consider enacting a law banning cow slaughter, beside imposing a total ban on sale, export and import of beef and beef-products in India within the next three months.

In a 36-page landmark judgment, a division bench of Justice Rajiv Sharma and Justice Sureshwar Thakur said secularism was one of the basic features of the Constitution and the people should not hurt the religious sentiments of each other.

“Though no writ of mandamus can be issued to Government of India to enact a legislation to prohibit slaughtering of cow/calf and putting restrictions on import and export of cow/calf, milch and other cattle or import and export of cow/calf, including sale of beef or beef products…However, in view of Article 48, 48-A and 51-A(g) of the Constitution, the Union of India (GoI) is directed to consider to enact the law prohibiting slaughtering of cow/calf, import or export of cow/calf, selling of beef or beef products, in its own wisdom at the national level, within a period of three months…,” the bench said.

The court also directed the Centre to provide necessary funds to Himachal Pradesh government for housing and providing fodder to cows and stray cattle with the specific objective of protection and conservation of cows and calves in the state.

The high court order came on a writ petition filed by Bhartiya Govansh Rakshan Sanverdhan Parishad, a local NGO. In a plea filed last year, the NGO had sought directions to save cows from being slaughtered.

The court also directed all the deputy commissioners in Himachal Pradesh to file personal affidavits giving status reports about compliance of the court’s order — passed on October 7,2014 — imposing a ban on cow slaughter and export of cow/calf for slaughter.

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