No Meat Sale In Mumbai On Sept 4 and 7, Deonar Slaughterhouse To Remain Closed — Know Why

Acting on the Bombay HC directive, the BMC on Friday issued an order detailing the two days on which the Deonar abattoir will remain closed

Maharashtra News: The Deonar abattoir, Mumbai's largest slaughterhouse will remain closed for two days in September. As per the order issued by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the abattoir will remain closed on September 4 and 7 this year. The order issued by metropolis’ civic commissioner-cum-administrator Bhushan Gagrani detailed why Deonar abattoir will remain closed, including for the Jain community’s ‘Paryushan Parv’.

“After taking into consideration various aspects of this issue, I have come to the conclusion that BMC will announce one day closure to slaughter during Paryushan Parva i.e. Bhadarva Sud Ekam, every year, which falls on September 4 this year. Ganesh Chaturthi is one of the days on which Deonar Abattoir is kept closed as per a 2015 decision. As it incidentally falls on the same day as Paryushan Parv, the abattoir will remain closed on September 7 as well,” the order said.

Gagrani also directed the concerned department to review the dates of closure of the abattoir and ensure the total number of days in a year does not exceed 15 days.

Bombay HC Order

The move came following a directive by the Bombay High Court, asking civic bodies in Maharashtra to urgently consider and decide the representations made by a Jain public charitable trust seeking a temporary ban on animal slaughter and sale of meat in view of the community’s ‘Paryushan Parv’.

On Thursday, a division bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Amit Borkar said it does not see any impediment in directing the civic bodies to decide the representation made by the trust.

“We accordingly direct the authorities to decide the representation of the petitioner seeking to impose a temporary ban on the slaughtering of animals and sale of meat during (from) August 31 to September 7. We urge the civic bodies to take a decision urgently since the festival commences from August 31,” HC said. 

What Did The Plea Say?

The Sheth Motishaw Lalbaug Jain Charities had filed a petition in HC seeking a direction to the BMC and civic bodies of Pune, Mira Bhayandar and Nashik to expeditiously decide on the representation made by them.

The trust, which sought a ban on animal slaughter and the sale of meat from August 31 to September 7, highlighted various aspects of Jain belief, including ‘ahimsa’ (non-violence).

The plea said if animal slaughter takes place during the Paryushan Parv, then it would be detrimental to the cause of Jainism.