In response to Uttar Pradesh’s ban on halal-certified goods, the Supreme Court on Monday granted elected officials of Halal India Limited and Jamiat Ulama Maharashtra temporary immunity from any coercive action.
On January 5, the Supreme Court denied the two bodies’ request for temporary protection from arrest in response to their petitions contesting the constitutionality of the notification that forbade the production, distribution, sale, or storage of food products certified halal inside the State of Uttar Pradesh, with the exception of goods meant for export. On January 25, Mahmood Madani, the president of Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind Halal Trust, was given protection by the court. Mdani had also petitioned the SC to overturn the ban.
After being made aware of this on Monday, a bench consisting of Justice B. R. Gavai and Sandeep Mehta decided to provide relief to both Jamiat Ulama Maharashtra and Halal India Limited.
The notification has been referred to as an attack on Muslims by Halal India Pvt. Ltd., a company that markets itself as an internationally renowned supplier of halal certification. It contended that a notice released on November 18, 2023, by the Uttar Pradesh-based Office of the Commissioner, Food Safety and Drug Administration, would affect interstate commerce and have implications for the whole of India.
It argued that other religions’ or denominations’ practices have not been given the same consideration, and it submitted that this will have a major effect on religious practices and public health, ultimately affecting religious freedom.
The police were provided with all necessary documents by the trust, according to advocate MR Shamshad, but the police insisted on seeing Mahmood Madani, the president of the trust, in person.
Last week, senior advocate Raju Ramachandran addressed the Supreme Court, stating that the police had requested the individual presence of those involved in the management of Jamiat Ulama i-Maharashtra and Halal India Limited. The matter was scheduled for Monday at his request.
The UP government’s ban on the manufacturing, storage, sale, and distribution of halal-certified food products as of November 18, 2023, has been challenged in petitions filed by Halal India Limited, a company that produces halal-certified goods, and Jamiat Ulama e-Maharashtra, the state branch of the Muslim scholar body Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind. One day prior to the ban’s implementation, the criminal case was filed. According to the complaint, the accused organizations were deceitfully certifying some products as Halal in order to draw in customers of a specific religion and make money. According to the FIR, the petitioner’s halal certification process is based on falsified paperwork and lacks legal support.
The UP notification selectively forbids the country’s citizens who adhere to Islamic culture and values from eating food and using content that is halal-certified or acceptable in line with Islamic culture and values, according to the Halal India petition submitted by advocate Ejaz Maqbool.
