Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said that the Bombay High Court has upheld majority part of the beef ban Act passed by his government as constitutional, which shows that the decision was not concerned with any religion.

Mr Fadnavis also announced that the State government will consult with lawyers and approach the Supreme Court on the court order, if found necessary.

Speaking to reporters following the court verdict, which decriminalised the possession and consumption of beef if brought from outside the State, Mr Fadnavis said that court too has accepted his government’s stand on the issue. “We have been saying from the start that the Act has nothing to do with any religion or caste or community, but was framed under constitutional limits. The court too has accepted our side and majority of the Act is called constitutional,” he said.

He said that the court’s order decriminalising possession of beef, if brought from outside the State, will be studied in detail. “From what I was briefed by our lawyers, the court found it conflicting with inter-state transportation. Also, we had put the onus of proving innocence on the accused. In other laws, it is the prosecution which has the responsibility to prove a person is guilty. The court has taken objection to it as well. We will go through both the issues and challenge it in Supreme Court if found necessary,” he said.

The Chief Minister said the High Court has called much of the Act constitutional