Bharatiya Janata Party legislator Vijay Bahadur Pathak said that the High Court order against sale of meat near religious places was being flouted all across Uttar Pradesh and demanded effective implementation of the order.

Raising a calling attention motion in the legislative council here on Thursday, the BJP legislator said that the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court had issued an order to the municipal commissioner of Lucknow, prohibiting the sale of meat within a 50-metre radius of any religious place, irrespective of whether it was a temple, mosque, church or gurudwara.

This directive applies specifically to densely populated areas and alongside main roads, he added.

“Despite the court’s instructions, these establishments are yet to be identified and removed promptly,” Pathak said in his notice.

He stated that numerous reports indicate a blatant disregard for the court’s order, with meat being openly sold close to temples, mosques and other religious sites.

Notable instances include the sale of meat near the Balaji Hanuman temple in Rajajipuram, the Buddheshwar temple in Para police station area, and various mosques across the region. This defiance extends beyond Lucknow, extending to other major cities and towns in the state, he added.

In the light of the public significance of this matter, there is a growing demand for the implementation of the ban on sale of meat near religious sites in the state capital of Lucknow, as well as in Kanpur, Ghaziabad, Aligarh, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Saharanpur, Moradabad, and other urban centres, Pathak stated.

He said urgent action should be taken to ensure compliance with the court’s order.