Don’t permit slaughtering of animals at retail meat shops, insists a PIL before Madras High Court

A public interest petition has been filed in the Madras High Court to prevent the slaughter of animals inside or behind retail shops selling mutton, chicken or beef and to ensure that such slaughter takes place only in authorized slaughterhouses of the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC).

A special Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice R. Suresh Kumar will hear the PIL plea during the commencement of hearings from Monday, March 2, 2026, at the Additional Succession Court Building, which was once home to the prestigious Madras Law College.

Chennai-based activist S. Muralidharan had filed the PIL. He said the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Slaughterhouse) Rules 2001 made it clear that no animal should be slaughtered within the municipal area except in a slaughterhouse recognized or licensed by the relevant authorities.

The reason for such a restriction was to prevent the slaughter of animals that were pregnant or had cubs under three months old, or were not certified by a veterinarian to be suitable for slaughter.

The 2001 Rules require municipal authorities to establish slaughterhouses where a veterinarian will thoroughly examine a maximum of 12 animals per hour and a maximum of 96 animals per day before issuing a certificate of fitness. The rules also insist on the isolation of sick animals unfit for slaughter.

Additionally, Rule 5 insists that animals rest in a pen for approximately 24 hours after veterinary examination and before slaughter, and Rule 6 clearly states that no animal shall be slaughtered in the presence of other animals and that no chemicals, drugs or hormones should be injected before slaughter.

The rules also insist that animals must be stunned before slaughter, blood must be drawn and carcasses must be dressed, and it is stated that the draining and collection of blood in slaughterhouses must be done promptly and properly. Some other conditions regarding the maintenance of hygiene were also part of the legal rules.

But when animals are slaughtered illegally in retail stores, none of this is properly monitored. The petitioner said that blood flows into local stormwater drains and animal waste is thrown into garbage bins, thus posing a serious threat to the environment as well as a health hazard.

He sought directions to the GCC and the Food Safety Commissioner to strictly implement the 2001 Rules and the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 by carrying out periodic inspections of meat retail outlets and ensuring strict implementation of the licensing and enforcement regime.