Article 48 of the

Constitution of India The Constitution of India ( IAST: ) is the supreme law of India. The document lays down the framework that demarcates fundamental political code, structure, procedures, powers, and duties of government institutions and sets out fundamental ...

is one of the

Directive Principles The Directive Principles of State Policy of India are the guidelines to be followed by the government of India for the governance of the country. They are not enforceable by any court, but the principles laid down there in are considered 'Fund ...

which directs the state to make efforts for banning

animal slaughter Animal slaughter is the killing of animals, usually referring to killing domestic livestock. It is estimated that each year 80 billion land animals are slaughtered for food. Most animals are slaughtered for food; however, they may also be slau ...

ing of cows and calves and other milch and draught cattle. It further states to organise

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people ...

and

animal husbandry Animal husbandry is the branch of agriculture concerned with animals that are raised for meat, fibre, milk, or other products. It includes day-to-day care, selective breeding, and the raising of livestock. Husbandry has a long history, starti ...

on modern and scientific lines.

Directive Principles

Article 48 is included as a “Directive Principle of State Policy”, meant to guide the Indian states in policy formation and its implementation, but could not be enforced in any court. #All the states administered by the

Government of India The Government of India ( ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

shall take measures for preserving and improving the breed. #The state administration shall make necessary arrangements to re-organize agriculture and animal husbandry on modern and scientific lines. #The state shall endeavour to prohibit slaughtering and smuggling of

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult ...

, calves and other milch and draught cattle. # The state shall take necessary actions to control trade of cattle in

livestock Livestock are the domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to ani ...

markets for purposes of inhuman slaughter. #The State shall endeavor to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wildlife of the country. #The states shall prevent slaughtering of animals except in recognized and licensed slaughter houses. #States shall prohibit the slaughtering of pregnant animals or animals having offspring less than three months old. Further, the animal which is under the age of three months or has not been certified by a

veterinarian A veterinarian (vet), also known as a veterinary surgeon or veterinary physician, is a medical professional who practices veterinary medicine. They manage a wide range of health conditions and injuries in non-human animals. Along with this, vet ...

that it is in a fit condition to be used commercially, shall not be slaughtered in a licensed house.

Purpose

The purpose of the Article 48 of the constitution is aimed at protecting Bos Indicus. In view of the persistent demands requested from the related religions, for action to be taken to prevent cattle slaughtering, the government formulated Article 48 for well-being of cattle and to take measures to secure the cattle wealth of India.

Petitions filed

The article 48 was challenged in the

Supreme Court of India The Supreme Court of India ( IAST: ) is the supreme judicial authority of India and is the highest court of the Republic of India under the constitution. It is the most senior constitutional court, has the final decision in all legal matters ...

butcher A butcher is a person who may slaughter animals, dress their flesh, sell their meat, or participate within any combination of these three tasks. They may prepare standard cuts of meat and poultry for sale in retail or wholesale food establishm ...

s, tanners, gut

merchant A merchant is a person who trades in commodities produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Historically, a merchant is anyone who is involved in business or trade. Merchants have operated for as long as indust ...

s, curers and cattle dealers. The petitions were filed in accordance with fundamentals rights as mandated in (Article 19(1)(g)) and religion (Article 25) which were violated by enforcing the Article 48.

References

{{Reflist, group=note Articles of the Constitution of India