Sakina Tashrifwala
Published on: 26 September 2022 at 17:52 IST
Three Jain religious charitable trusts have filed a petition with the Bombay High Court asking the court to declare a ban on non-veg food marketing, calling such promotions an “utter violation” of the right to live in peace.
“If some individuals choose to eat non-vegetarian meals, they are allowed to do so; nevertheless, exhibiting non-vegetarian foods in the homes of vegetarians is not nice and suitable, and it violates their constitutional and fundamental rights,” the petition adds.
Shree Atma Kamal Labdhisurishwarji Jain, Gyanrnandir Trust, Sheth Motisha Religious and Charitable Trust, Shri Vardhaman Parivar, and businessman Jyotindra Ramniklal Shah are the petitioners in the case.
The respondents in the lawsuit include the national government, the state of Maharastra, the Advertising Standards Council of India, and commercial meat corporations that hold trademarks such as ‘Licious.’
The suit requests a writ of mandamus ordering the authorities to create regulations or guidelines prohibiting the marketing of non-vegetarian cuisine in any media. The petition also requests that the responders publish a notice on packaged non-veg items that states, “Consumption of non-veg food is detrimental to health and the environment.”
According to the petition, which was filed by Advocate Gunjan P. Shah, “advertising of non-vegetarian foods is gravely unconstitutional as it violates Article 21, which provides the right to life, which includes the right to protect a person’s tradition, culture, heritage, and all that gives meaning to a man’s life.”
The petition claims that vegetarians are compelled to witness non-vegetarian food commercials in the media without their agreement, which violates their right to live quietly and their right to privacy.
The ads, according to the petition, “express and promote cruelty towards birds, animals, and marine life,” thereby violating Article 51A(g) of the Constitution.
According to the petition, such ads can cause major environmental damage, including deterioration and depletion of natural resources, because the death of thousands of animals, birds, and marine life every day generates an environmental imbalance.
To support its claim, the petition cites actions by civic bodies and governments in Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand restricting the sale and display of meat and non-veg foods in certain locations, including religious sites such as Mathura, Rishikesh, and Patilana (a Jain pilgrim site in Gujarat).
The petition will be heard before a division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Madhav J. Jamdar on Monday, September 26, 2022.