New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh must immediately reissue licences to abattoirs closed in a recent crackdown by the Yogi Adityanath government, the Allahabad high court ruled on Friday.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath, who has in the past been accused of fiery anti-Muslim rhetoric, ordered the closure of unlicenced slaughterhouses after he was appointed CM in March.
The crackdown was welcomed by Hindu hardline and extremist groups but hit the Muslim community hard.
The Allahabad high court ruled on Friday that the state should start reissuing licences to the abattoirs in Uttar Pradesh, allowing them to re-open.
“The court has instructed the government to renew the licence of all the slaughterhouses and also allow butchers to start business in India,” B.K. Singh, a lawyer representing 800 meat shop owners, said.
Many of the closed meat shops were unlicensed after their permits had lapsed under the previous government. Reuters