Allahabad High Court dismisses PIL against closure notices to chicken and mutton shops during Sawan

Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh) [India], August 14 (ANI): The Allahabad High Court has dismissed a public interest litigation challenging notices issued for the closure of chicken and mutton shops in Amroha during the Sawan month, observing that the petition appeared to have been filed in the "interest of publicity" rather than in the public interest.
The PIL was filed by Amroha-based advocate Nasir Farooq, who challenged the legality of notices issued by the authorities directing the closure of meat shops during the Kanwar Yatra period.
While dismissing the petition, the court observed that the petitioner himself was an advocate and remarked that the plea had been filed not in "public interest" but in "publicity interest".
The petition had challenged notices issued by the police and local authorities for the closure of chicken shops during Sawan. The petitioner claimed that shops located away from designated Kanwar routes were also being asked to remain closed.
According to the plea, several chicken shops in Amroha that were not situated along the Kanwar route were allegedly issued undated notices by the police and subsequently made to shut down. The petitioner argued that the action had affected the livelihood of hundreds of people dependent on these establishments.
The plea further claimed that the notices referred specifically to four Mondays during the Sawan period, but meat shops were allegedly being prevented from opening throughout the entire month. The petitioner also alleged that the restrictions were not limited to shops located directly on the Kanwar route. According to the petition, shops situated in lanes and other areas away from the designated route were also being closed.
Through the PIL, the petitioner sought the intervention of the High Court and requested that the undated notices issued to the shopkeepers be quashed.
The petitioner's counsel, Mustaqeem Ahmed, argued before the court that the action had created an employment and livelihood crisis for a large number of people. The plea maintained that restrictions on shops located away from the Kanwar route were beyond the stated purpose of regulating activities along the pilgrimage route.
The Uttar Pradesh government opposed the petition. Additional Chief Standing Counsel Ramanand Pandey appeared for the state government and contested the submissions made on behalf of the petitioner.
The matter concerned restrictions imposed during Sawan, when large numbers of Kanwariyas travel through various parts of Uttar Pradesh as part of the annual Kanwar Yatra. Authorities in areas through which the pilgrimage passes often make arrangements relating to traffic, sanitation, security and other activities along the routes.
The petitioner, however, argued that the closure notices in Amroha extended beyond the Kanwar route and affected businesses operating in other parts of the district.
The High Court ultimately declined to entertain the PIL and dismissed it, with its observation regarding the petitioner's intention forming a key part of the order. The dismissal means that the challenge brought through the public interest litigation against the closure notices did not receive the relief sought by the petitioner. (ANI)