India: civil society moves Supreme Court to overturn beef ban

(AGI) - New Delhi, Aug 18 - A group of Indian activists have approached the Supreme Court of India to overturn a ban on cow slaughter, saying it is a violation of "one's right to choose his food". Many Indian states have banned cow slaughter as the animal is considered sacred by majority Hindu community. Attacks against minorities and so called lower caste Dalits have increased after the ruling Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) came to power at the centre. India is the world's fifth-largest consumer and second-largest exporter of beef. Senior lawyer Indira Jaising will lead the fight in the apex court. She argued that the choice to consume beef is a "fundamental right under the right to life guaranteed by the Constitution". Jaising told the Supreme Court that those who consume beef as a part of their regular diet are predominantly from the lower socio-economic strata of society. So the effect of the restriction on the access to cheap and nutritious food that is part of their regular diet is very intense and it cannot be legally sustained. She said in petition, "No person can be compelled to eat what he or she does not wish to eat as an alternative source of food, since the right to eat food of one's choice is part of the fundamental right to life guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution". (AGI) .