Can't close abbatoirs for 10 days, Jain community told in Bombay High Court

The Bombay High Court on 20 August, Wednesday, refused to grant any relief to Jain community members seeking closure of slaughterhouses in the city for 10 days during the community's Paryushan Parv festival.

A bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Sandeep Marne said it respects the community's sentiments but questioned from where it derives the right to ask for slaughter houses to be kept shut for 10 days.

The petitions had challenged a 14 August order passed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) commissioner, allowing closure of slaughterhouses only for two days.

The civic body chief had reasoned that the population of the Jain community in the city was low.

Paryushan Parv will be observed from 20 to 27 August by the Digambar community and from 21 to 28 August by the Shwetambar community.

The high court, while refusing to grant any relief, said no case was made out by the petitioners.

"We respect your sentiments. But tell us from where do you derive the right to ask for slaughterhouses to be closed for 10 days," the court asked.

The court was informed by the BMC that at present the government has notified 16 days in the year during which slaughterhouses would remain shut.

The court said the petitions would have to be heard and issued notice to the BMC and state government and posted the matter for hearing after two weeks.

The pleas had claimed that the Paryushan Parv festival highlights the significance of ahimsa (non-violence) and hence slaughter during this sacred time would be detrimental to the cause of Jainism.

The court was informed by the civic body that slaughterhouses would be closed for two days — 24 and 27 August. The same could not be extended, it said, as the city's Deonar slaughterhouse does not cater only to Mumbai, but also to the entire Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

Senior counsel Prasad Dhakephalkar, appearing for one of the petitioners, said in a lighter vein that it was easier for the Jain community to convince Rmperor Akbar to keep the slaughterhouses closed during Paryushan.

"Emperor Akbar had banned slaughter in Ahmedabad for six months," Dhakephalkar claimed. "It was easy to convince Emperor Akbar, but not the state government and the corporation."