Gauhati High Court lifts ban on dog meat in Nagaland

Gauhati High Court lifts ban on dog meat in Nagaland

The Kohima bench of the Gauhati High Court has given a big blow to the government by reversing a decision of the Nagaland government. In fact, it has overturned the decision of the state government, in which it had banned the commercial import of dogs, their markets, the commercial sale of their meat.

A bench headed by Justice Marly Vankun had given its verdict on Friday (June 2) last week, saying that the order passed by the Chief Secretary of Nagaland on July 4, 2020 on the sale of dogs and their meat was within their jurisdiction. I did not come, so there is no validity of his order before the court.

The state government had imposed a ban

On July 4, 2020, the Nagaland cabinet passed an order, completely banning the sale of dog meat within the state, but licensed traders under the Kohima Municipal Council to import dogs and sell dog meat. A petition was filed on behalf of, challenging the legal basis and jurisdiction of the ban.

The court said that the central point of consideration is whether the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has acted beyond its jurisdiction in its August 2014 order. Is there any category specified in the meat of animal, due to which Nagaland had issued notification dated 4th July 2020 in pursuance of the circular?

The High Court said that the petitioner does the business of dog meat and makes his livelihood by selling dog meat. Although in its order, the court also said that dog meat is not considered to be a proper food, yet the decision of the state government was outside its jurisdiction.