J&K HC forms 3-judge Bench over beef ban issue

The Jammu and Kashmir High Court on Saturday constituted a 3-judge Bench that will hear on October 16 a petition against beef ban in the State.

The Supreme Court had, on October 5, asked the Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir High Court to constitute a 3-judge Bench to resolve the beef ban issue after Division Benches of the HC — one in Srinagar and another in Jammu — were divided over the matter.

The 3-judge Bench comprises Justices Muzaffar Hussain Attar, Ali Muhammad Magrey and Tashi Rabstan.

The Bench has been constituted after the Supreme Court kept in abeyance for two months the September 9 order of a Division Bench of the state High Court directing the police authorities to enforce the more than century-old beef ban in the State.

In its order, the High Court’s Division Bench at Jammu asked the State police chief to “strictly enforce” the existing laws (Sections 298 A to D of the J&K Ranbir Penal Code) regulating ban on bovine slaughter and beef sale in the State.

However, a week later, another Division Bench of the HC in Srinagar had admitted a writ petition challenging the constitutional validity of the penal sections regulating ban on bovine slaughter and beef sale and issued notices to the State government directing it to file a response within one week.