TN moves Supreme Court against Madras HC ban on cow slaughter

The Tamil Nadu government has approached the Supreme Court challenging a Madras High Court order that directed the State to ensure that no cow or calf is slaughtered on Bakrid or any other day.

The petition, filed through the Secretary to the Government, Animal Husbandry, Dairying, Fisheries and Fishermen Welfare Department, challenges the High Court's judgment dated May 27, 2026.

The plea argued that the High Court had effectively imposed a blanket prohibition that contradicts a statutory scheme governing animal slaughter in the State.

The plea recounts that the High Court order was passed on a petition seeking directions to prevent the slaughter of cows in public places during Bakrid in Coimbatore. The petitioner before the High Court had only prayed for implementation of existing laws and directions to ensure that animal sacrifice did not take place outside authorised slaughterhouses, the Tamil Nadu government dded.

The State added that the authorities also informed the High Court that necessary arrangements had been made to ensure that applicable regulations were enforced. In this regard, the State had filed a counter-affidavit before the High Court stating that police had intensified surveillance, identified designated slaughterhouses, deployed officials for inspections and taken steps to ensure that no slaughter took place in public places.

However, after observing that slaughter should be permitted only at designated slaughterhouses, the High Court went on to direct the State to ensure that "no cow or calf is slaughtered on the eve of Bakrid or on any other day."

The State argues that such a directive amounts to a complete prohibition on cow slaughter across Tamil Nadu, even though the applicable legal framework only regulates slaughter.

The petition submits that the Tamil Nadu Animal Preservation Act, 1958, the Tamil Nadu Urban Local Bodies Act, 1998, the Tamil Nadu Urban Local Bodies Rules, 2023, and the relevant food safety regulations contemplate regulation of animal slaughter and not an absolute ban.

It further argues that the High Court travelled beyond the scope of the original writ petition by granting relief that had not been sought. According to the State, the dispute before the High Court was limited to whether cows and calves could be sacrificed at places other than designated slaughterhouses on Bakrid, and not whether cow slaughter should be prohibited altogether.

The plea also objects to the High Court's discussion on whether cow sacrifice forms an essential religious practice under Islam. It contended that the issue was never raised by the parties and did not arise for determination in the case.

It further argues that the High Court relied on a 1976 government order, issued to prohibit cow slaughter in the interest of milk production and the improvement of the rural economy, without considering how it fits with the existing legal framework.

As a result, the High Court effectively treated the order as imposing a complete ban even though the statutory scheme only regulates cow slaughter, the State has contended.

The State has, therefore, urged the Supreme Court to set aside the Madras High Court ruling and restore the legal position under the existing statutes governing animal slaughter.

It has also sought an interim stay on the operation of the High Court's directions pending the disposal of the State's appeal.

The petition was filed through Advocate Jayasree Narasimhan.