Source

NEW DELHI, INDIA, March 11, 2004: Boosting the government bid to free the holy city of Rishikesh of “non-vegetarian” items, the Supreme Court has upheld an official notification banning sale of eggs which followed a similar ban on sale of meat and fish in the city, the gateway to important pilgrimage centres. Dismissing an appeal challenging the notification on the ground that it was violative of the fundamental right to carry on all types of business, a bench of Justice Shivaraj V. Patil and Justice D. M. Dharmadhikari said the high court had rightly upheld the constitutional validity of the notification. Justice Patil said the high court was right in holding that prohibition of sale of eggs within the municipal limits of Rishikesh was not an unreasonable restriction as the by-law was “in the larger interest of welfare of people….” The public dealing in meat, fish and eggs was banned by notification as far back as July 23, 1956 and the same was extended to Muni ki Reti in 1976. Justice Dharmadhikari said that it was a matter of common knowledge that members of several communities in India were strictly vegetarians and shun meat, fish and eggs and such people in large numbers regularly and periodically visit Haridwar, Rishikesh and Muni ki Reti.

Post Views: 863