Fate of NC Bill on revoking beef ban hangs in balance

JAMMU: The fate of the Opposition National Conference’s controversial Bill to revoke ban on the sale and purchase of beef in the state again hangs in the balance as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Kavinder Gupta decided to wait for the outcome of the Supreme Court’s hearing on this highly sensitive issue.

Tribune News Service

Jammu, October 3

The fate of the Opposition National Conference’s controversial Bill to revoke ban on the sale and purchase of beef in the state again hangs in the balance as Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Kavinder Gupta decided to wait for the outcome of the Supreme Court’s hearing on this highly sensitive issue.

The apex court will hear the plea on beef ban on October 5. “I will give my verdict on NC’s Bill only after thoroughly studying the outcome of the Supreme Court’s hearing on this issue on October 5,” the Speaker told The Tribune, adding, “The situation has changed after the decision of the Supreme Court to hear a plea of the state government on this issue”. “We have to wait for the hearing in the Supreme Court,” the Speaker argued and revealed that he would seek the opinion of legal experts on Monday to take decision on the fate of the Bill moved by the NC in the Legislative Assembly.

The Opposition NC and CPM member MY Tarigami have moved separate Bills seeking omission of Sections 298-A, 298-B, 298-C and 298-D of the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC) to revoke ban on beef in Jammu and Kashmir. As reported earlier after going thorough the rules books and previous rulings, the Speaker had admitted the Bill of the NC on September 29 so as to table it in the ongoing autumn session of the Assembly for discussion. After the Supreme Court has given its consent to listen to the plea of the state government on the sensitive issue, the situation has been changed. “Legal experts have suggested the Speaker to wait for the views of apex court on this issue before tabling it for discussions in the Assembly,” a source said, adding that some BJP MLAs had publicly aired their anger against rejecting of the resolutions moved by two party MLAs in which capital punishment was sought for those who would be found involved in selling or purchasing of beef.

Quoting the excuse of the Assembly Secretariat that the matter is sub-judice so resolutions on capital punishment were rejected, BJP MLAs argued that similar yardstick must be adopted on NC’s Bill also. The apex court on Wednesday had given its consent to hear on October 5 a petition in which the Jammu and Kashmir Government had pleaded for removal of confusion created by two “mutually conflicting” orders of the state High Court on the question of beef sale and slaughter of bovine animals.