FIR Registered Against Hyderabad Businessman for Sacrificing 101 Goats, Following PETA India Complaint
After learning that a Hyderabad-based businessman and his accomplices allegedly sacrificed 101 goats in apparent flagrant violation of the law and orders of the Hon’ble Supreme Court, PETA India worked with senior Hyderabad police officials to register a first information report (FIR). The goats were sacrificed on Sunday, 6 February, at Bagh-e-Jahanara, Madannapet Colony, Hyderabad. The cruel incident was caught on camera, and the footage shows people posing for photos and videos while standing in front of the frightened goats, who were cornered in a small area. The animals can then be seen being killed in front of each other. Their throats were slit while they were fully conscious, and the slaughter took place in full view of the public in a residential area.
The FIR is registered under sections 4 and 5(b), read with sections 6 and 8, of the Telangana Animals and Birds Sacrifice Prohibition Act, 1950, and sections 3, 11(1)(a), 11(1)(l), and 38(3) of The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960.
In its complaint, PETA India pointed out that Section 5(b) of the Telangana Animals and Birds Sacrifices Prohibition Act, 1950, clearly states that no person shall knowingly allow any sacrifice to be performed at any place that is in their possession or under their control. Section 4 prohibits anyone from officiating, performing, or participating in sacrificing an animal in any congregation. Section 8 makes all offences under the act cognisable.
Through orders on two matters regarding the sacrifice and killing of animals for meat, the Supreme Court ruled that animals can be slaughtered only in officially licensed slaughterhouses and that municipal authorities must ensure compliance with this ruling. The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Slaughter House) Rules, 2001, and the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011, permit the slaughter of animals for food only in licensed slaughterhouses equipped with species-specific stunning equipment.
Gujarat, Kerala, Puducherry, and Rajasthan already have laws in place prohibiting the religious sacrifice of any animal in any temple or its precinct. Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Telangana prohibit it in any public place of religious worship or adoration or its precinct or in any congregation or procession connected with religious worship on a public street.
