'State should have better things to do...': SC raps Assam govt over beef case

New Delhi, Feb 22: The Supreme Court on Friday criticised the Assam government while hearing a case against a man accused of transporting beef, stating that the state "should have better things to do" than pursuing such cases.

A bench comprising Justices AS Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan stayed the criminal proceedings against the accused and scheduled a hearing on the nature of the seized product for April 16.

"State should have better things to do than running after these people," the bench said after the State informed about the meat sample being sent to a lab for testing.

The counsel said after the transportation was intercepted, the driver was unable to answer questions over the

"The meat was then sent to a forensic lab," said the counsel.

The court, however, questioned the practicality of identifying different types of packaged raw meat by visual inspection alone. "How can a person distinguish between different types of meat just by looking? If someone is in possession of raw meat, how can they determine which animal it belongs to? Naked eyes cannot make such a distinction," the bench observed.

The defence counsel argued that the accused was merely a warehouse owner who had transported the packaged meat without knowing its exact type.

Referring to Section 8 of the Assam Cattle Preservation Act, the court noted that the law applies only if the accused had prior knowledge that the meat being transported or sold was beef.

The state’s counsel countered that the accused was actively involved in packaging and selling the meat.

Acknowledging the need for further deliberation, the court decided to hear the matter in April.

With inputs from news agency