NEW DELHI: Directing Uttar Pradesh government to commission new licenses and renew old ones for slaughterhouses and meat shops, Allahabad High Court on Friday said people can't be prevented from having non vegetarian food.

The court said that no one can be prevented from having non-veg food. The state government, in an argument, said that it's not their responsibility to make slaughterhouses and meat shops, which the court had rejected.

The court observed that it is the responsibility of the local body to construct slaughterhouses.
 The bench asked government to issue new licenses and renew old ones by removing all obstacles in the process.

After taking over as the Chief Minister on March 19, Yogi Adityanath had imposed a blanket ban on all illegal slaughterhouses in the state.

About 27 petitions were filed by the owners of slaughterhouses and meat traders.

As soon as Adityanath's nomination for chief minister had been announced, officials across the state began raiding and shutting down all the legal and illegal buffalo slaughterhouses because the BJP poll manifesto had promised a ban on these.

Adityanath had said abattoirs operating legally will not be touched but action will be taken against those being run illegally.