NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court criticized the Assam government on Friday during the hearing of a case involving a man accused of transporting beef.
The bench, consisting of Justices A S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan, expressed disapproval, stating that the state should focus on more important matters than pursuing such cases. The court stayed the criminal proceedings against the accused and scheduled the next hearing for April 16.
The state informed the court that a sample of the meat had been sent for forensic testing. The defense counsel clarified that after the transportation was intercepted, the driver could not confirm whether the meat was beef.
The court noted that it is difficult for an ordinary person without expertise to distinguish between different types of meat just by looking at packaged raw meat.
The accused’s lawyer argued that his client was a warehouse owner and had only transported the packaged meat, not knowing its contents. The court referred to Section 8 of the Assam Cattle Preservation Act, stating that the law could only apply if the accused knew the meat was beef.
The state’s counsel contended that the accused was involved in the packaging and selling of the meat, suggesting a violation of the law. The bench agreed that further examination of the matter was necessary and set the next hearing for April.
Also Read:
Also Watch: