Beef ban row: HC notice to J&K govt

The J&K High Court on Wednesday gave a week to the state government to file its response to a writ petition seeking striking down of the provisions of <g data-gr-id="14" style="color: #3b3b3b; font-size: 11px;">law</g> criminalising bovine slaughter in the state.

The notice was issued by a division bench comprising justices Mohammad Yaqoub Mir and <g data-gr-id="13">Bhansi</g> Lal Bhat after hearing a writ petition filed by Afzal Qadri through his advocate Syed Faisal Qadri seeking striking down of the relevant provisions of the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC) which criminalises the slaughter of bovines. “The court admitted the petition and gave a week's time to the government to file its response,” said Faisal Qadri.

He said the court also ruled that the petition would not be a bar in case the legislature seeks to amend or repeal the said provisions of RPC.

Qadri said he challenged the provisions incorporated under Chapter 15 of the RPC in the form of Sections 298-A, 298-B, 298-C and 298-D on the ground that they are ultra vires to Section 14, 21, 25 and 29 of the Constitution of India as well as the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir.