The Bombay High Court on Wednesday declined to order a nine-day closure of slaughterhouses during the Jain festival of Paryushan Parv, stating that there is no legal provision mandating it.”You are seeking a mandamus. For that, there must be a mandate in law. Where does it say slaughterhouses must close for 10 days?” the division bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Sandeep Marne told the petitioners.Earlier, the court had asked the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to review the Jain community’s request, after the civic body allowed only a one-day closure. Following this, the BMC extended the ban to two days—August 24 and August 27 (Ganesh Chaturthi). Dissatisfied, the petitioners returned to court seeking a full nine-day ban.Advocate Abhinav Chandrachud, representing the petitioners, argued that the Supreme Court had previously upheld Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation’s decision to close slaughterhouses during Paryushan. Mumbai, with a larger Jain population, should follow suit, he said. Senior advocate Prasad Dhakephalkar added that the BMC had given undue weight to non-vegetarian interests despite a vegetarian majority in the city.The bench, however, observed that unlike Ahmedabad, no such municipal decision existed in Mumbai. “There is no legislative mandate, rule, law, or policy requiring closure. You must understand the distinction,” the court said.The judges advised the petitioners to amend their plea if they wished to challenge the BMC’s order for being arbitrary or unreasonable. The case has been adjourned for two weeks, with notice issued to the BMC.
