The West Bengal government has issued a modified public notice under the West Bengal Animal Slaughter Control Act, 1950, tightening regulations around cattle and buffalo slaughter in the state with immediate effect. The notice, issued by the Health and Animal Husbandry Department from Nabanna, Howrah, bears reference number 631-H(Law)/PE/1SS-292/19 and is dated May 13, 2026.
What the notice says
The modified notice — issued in compliance with orders from the Calcutta High Court in cases dating back to 2018 — lays down a clear set of mandatory requirements for any slaughter of cattle or buffalo in West Bengal.
No cattle, buffalo, ox, cow, calf, bull, or she-buffalo can be slaughtered without a certificate from a government veterinary surgeon declaring the animal fit for slaughter. This certification requirement is absolute and applies without exception.
No open public slaughter is permitted anywhere in the state — a blanket prohibition that covers all public spaces, roads, markets, and open areas regardless of occasion or purpose.
Any person or slaughterhouse chairman or committee seeking to slaughter an animal must apply to a government veterinary surgeon and obtain a fitness certificate before proceeding. If the veterinary surgeon refuses to issue a certificate, the applicant has the right to appeal to the state government within 15 days.
Once a fitness certificate is issued for an animal, that specific animal must be slaughtered only at a government-recognised slaughterhouse or at a location specifically authorised in the certificate — not at any other location.
The animal covered by a fitness certificate must be slaughtered only by a person authorised under the certificate — no other individual may carry out the slaughter.
Penalties for violation
The notice explicitly states that any violation of the West Bengal Animal Slaughter Control Act, 1950 — including slaughter without certification, open public slaughter, or slaughter outside authorised locations — carries a penalty of up to ₹1,000 in fine or imprisonment or both, and the offence is cognisable under the Act, meaning police can make arrests without a warrant.
No slaughterhouse chairman, committee member, or any individual can use a government veterinary surgeon’s certification process for purposes other than the Act’s stated objectives.
Context
The notice references compliance with Calcutta High Court orders — specifically HC orders dated May 11, 2018 (WP No. 4862/2018), August 8, 2022 (File No. 2745/2016), and a subsequent order (TS No. 1201, DP No. 342/2021) — indicating this is a court-mandated tightening of enforcement rather than a fresh legislative initiative. The timing of the notice on May 13, 2026, comes in the context of heightened political tensions in West Bengal following recent assembly election results and ongoing litigation in the Calcutta High Court over post-poll violence and law and order issues in the state.
Disclaimer: This article is based on the West Bengal government’s official public notice dated May 13, 2026. Readers are advised to refer to the original notification for complete legal details.