A division bench of the Gauhati High Court has delivered a split verdict on writ appeals concerning the sale of dog meat in Nagaland, leaving the legal position unsettled for now.
According to a report by Hindustan Times, the appeals were filed by People For Animals (PFA) and Humane Society International/India in 2023, and Akhil Bharat Krishi Goseva Sangh in 2024. These challenged the June 2, 2023 judgment of the Kohima Bench which had quashed the Nagaland government’s July 2020 notification banning the commercial import and trading of dogs, operation of dog markets, and sale of dog meat.
Justice Budi Habung dismissed the pleas as devoid of merit and upheld the 2023 ruling, thereby allowing the sale and consumption of dog meat. In contrast, Justice Robin Phukan allowed the appeals and set aside the 2023 judgment, effectively favouring restoration of the earlier ban. A detailed order is awaited, HT reported.
The 2020 notification, issued by the chief secretary, had triggered mixed reactions across the state.
The issue first reached the court when traders challenged the ban in September 2020, arguing that it affected their livelihood. In 2023, the High Court had ruled that the chief secretary was not the competent authority under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 to impose such a ban. It quashed the July 2020 Nagaland government order that put a blanket ban on the commercial import, trading of dogs and sale of dog meat in markets and dine-in restaurants.
With the judges divided, the matter is likely to be placed before a third judge for a final decision.