Srinagar: The Union Territory High Court on Wednesday directed all the parties in the PIL regarding entry and sale of rotten meat in to Kashmir to file their responses within 10 days and ensure that complete pleadings are on record.
The matter was heard by a division bench comprising Chief Justice Arun Palli and Justice Rajnesh Oswal. During the hearing, the court directed all the parties who have not yet filed their responses to do so within the next 10 days and ensure that complete pleadings are on record.
The matter has now been listed for further hearing after 10 days.
The practice of “smuggling” rotten, diseased, and unhygienic poultry and meat products into Jammu & Kashmir, particularly the Kashmir Valley, has been prevalent for many years, petitioner of the Public Interest Litigation said in a supplementary affidavit filed before the High Court of J&K and Ladakh some time ago.
In the supplementary affidavit, the petitioner has referred to an order (No. DIVCOM/Dev/2017-525-32) on 15 April 2017 by the Divisional Commissioner Kashmir regarding the clandestine transportation of dressed poultry birds with false labels packed in ice boxes.
By virtue of the order, he said, a complete ban was imposed on the import of such dressed poultry birds into the Valley.
“The concerned departments, namely the Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CAPD) Department, the Department of Commercial Taxes, the Department of Animal Husbandry, and the Department of Legal Metrology, were directed to take immediate steps to check fish boxes at the entry points into the Valley and to confiscate/destroy any poultry being smuggled under the guise of fish consignments,” the petitioner said.
He said, “the said order further directed the concerned departments to undertake market inspections across the Valley to eradicate the menace of smuggling and circulation of such hazardous meat.”
The affidavit claimed that it was evident that the practice of smuggling rotten, diseased, and unhygienic poultry and meat products has been prevalent for many years.
“However, despite the issuance of directions, the concerned authorities failed to take any concrete or pre-emptive measures to curb such unlawful and unethical practices,” he said.
“It is pertinent to mention that the order dated 15.04.2017 passed by the Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, came to be challenged before this Court by way of OWP No. 532/2017, wherein, vide interim order dated 29.04.2017, the operation of the said order was stayed.”
Subsequently, he said, the petition itself came to be dismissed by the High Court vide order on 17 February 2025 for non-prosecution.
The petitioner said the UT Government has also exhibited gross negligence in filling up crucial posts of Food Safety Officers across Jammu & Kashmir.
