Supreme Court Seeks Centre’s Reply on PIL Challenging Religious Exemption for Animal Killing

Overview

• A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta issued notice to the Union government and listed the matter for hearing in four weeks.
• The petition, filed by advocate Shruti Bist, names the Ministry of Animal Husbandry and is registered as SHRUTI BIST v. MINISTRY OF ANIMAL HUSBANDRY, Diary No. 66314-2025.
• The plea seeks directions to amend Section 28 of the 1960 Act to prohibit killing of animals in the name of religion, which the provision currently exempts.
• The petitioner asks for a nationwide policy response that includes stronger legislation, public awareness initiatives, and cooperation with animal-welfare organisations.
• The filing says ritual animal sacrifice continues in parts of the Himalayas, the northeast, Odisha, West Bengal, Maharashtra and southern India, and it situates the practice within broader patterns of cruelty including neglect, entertainment use, and farm and laboratory abuse.