The Supreme Court on Monday granted interim protection from any coercive action to the office-bearers of Halal India Limited and Jamiat Ulama Maharashtra over the Uttar Pradesh ban on halal-certified products, Indian Express reported.
In November last year, the UP state government imposed a ban on halal-certified food products in the entire state. “The manufacturing, storage, distribution, and sale of halal-certified food products are banned with immediate effect,” read an order issued by the UP Food, Safety and Drug Administration Commissioner Anita Singh.
Besides food products, drugs, medical devices, and cosmetic products with halal-certified labels will incur legal action, according to a separate UP government order.
On January 5, the Supreme Court issued notice to the state on petitions filed by the two bodies — challenging the Constitutional validity of the notification but refused to grant them interim protection from arrest.
However, on January 25, the court granted protection to Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind Halal Trust president Mahmood Madani. On Monday, a bench of Justice B R Gavai and Sandeep Mehta agreed to extend the relief to Halal India Limited and Jamiat Ulama Maharashtra too.
Halal India Pvt Ltd, which claims to be an “internationally recognised halal certification provider”, has called the notification “an attack on the followers of Islam religion”.
Jamiat Ulama-I-Hind Halal Trust CEO Niaz A. Farooqui termed the campaign against the halal tag as misleading and unfavourable to the national interests. In a clarification note issued on the halal certification process, they argued that the manufacturers’ requirements for both export purposes and domestic distribution in India largely depend on their certification, and the global demand of halal certified products is not to be neglected.
