HC Asks ADM To Inspect And Give Report If Slaughtering Of Birds Going On In Ghazipur Murga Mandi

The Delhi High Court Friday directed the Additional District Magistrate (ADM) of East Delhi to ascertain whether the slaughter of birds is still continuing in the Ghazipur murga mandi (poultry market) in the national capital despite a ban.

The high court had in September 2018 banned the slaughter of birds in the market while permitting only the sale of live poultry.

A bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad said the September 24, 2018 order of a division bench makes it clear that only the sale of live poultry was allowed in the market and not their slaughter.

“To find out if slaughtering of birds is still going on, ADM of East Delhi is directed to conduct an inspection within 2 weeks and submit the report on whether only sale of live birds is going on or slaughtering is also going in the mandi in question,” the bench said.

The high court listed the matter for further hearing on May 12.

In 2018, the high court had said taking note of the "inaction" of authorities, it had no option but to direct that no slaughter of birds will be permitted in the mandi.

The court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) alleging that poultry birds are being traded and slaughtered there illegally.

The court had asked the authorities to come up with a plan to set up a designated slaughterhouse in the area, and till then the interim order will remain in operation.

After conducting an inspection, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) had directed closure of the slaughterhouses operating from inside the city government’s Delhi Agricultural Marketing Board (DAMB) premises.

However, several months after the order, birds were being slaughtered there, the bench had noted.

The plea by animal rights activist Gauri Maulekhi has contended there was “blatant violation” of mandatory health checks and veterinary screening of the birds which lel to spread of infectious diseases such as avian flu.

The petition also drew attention to the abysmal conditions in which the birds are kept, saying they are “tied up and hung upside down, de-feathered, stuffed in wire cages without sufficient food or water and slaughtered while alive”.

It claimed the waste generated was not properly disposed of and flushed down the drain ending up in the rivers or dumped in open grounds.

The petition sought directions to the authorities to “forthwith stop the illegal slaughter" of poultry birds at the market and constitution of a committee for weekly inspection.

The plea has also sought that the birds be examined by veterinarians after they are transported to the mandi to ensure they are not infected with any disease.