Chennai: Amid mounting protests in various parts of the country to condemn the Centre’s decision to ban the sale of cows and buffaloes for slaughter, the Madras High Court on Tuesday issued interim stay order of four weeks on the implementation of new central government’s rules on cattle trade.

When a petition came up for hearing at Madurai bench of Madras High Court, Justice M V Muralidharan and Justice CV Karthikeyan issued notices to Centre and asked to file its report within four weeks.

Though the government’s counsel argued that the Centre’s decision is only to regulate the animal markets, the judges ordered four-week stay on a petition against the Union government’s decision banning sale of cows and buffaloes for slaughter.

The petition, which was filed by S Selvagomathy, pointed out that the Supreme Court had in various decisions, held that the right to choice of food (non gegetarian or vegetarian) is a part of the right to personal liberty, conscience and privacy.

“By imposing a ban on slaughter of animals for food, the citizens with a choice to eat the flesh of such animals would be deprived of such food, which violates the right to food, privacy and personal liberty, guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution of India”, the petitioner said.

Protests mounted in various parts of the country to condemn the Centre’s decision to ban the sale of cows and buffaloes for slaughter.

The petitioner also alleged that the local bodies throughout the country have been prohibiting slaughter of animals, creating unrest among various sections of the society and anti-social elements have been policing every shop and house of persons belonging to the minority communities and Dalits, and they have been attacked sighting the impugned provisions without any authority.

Apart from political parties, various organsiations and student movements had been staging protest demonstration in several states, to protest the centre’s move, which they claim was an affront on the cultural rights of the minorities.