SC Refuses to Lift Non-Veg Ban Near Somnath Temple, Seeks Expedited HC Hearing

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday declined to lift the ban on the preparation, sale and storage of non-vegetarian food in areas surrounding Somnath Temple in Gujarat, while asking the Gujarat High Court to decide the matter expeditiously.

A Bench of Justices MM Sundresh and PB Varale refused to interfere with an interim order of the Gujarat High Court that restored the restriction, observing that a balance needed to be maintained in the matter.

“We need to maintain a balance. We don’t say anything,” the Bench remarked while hearing a plea filed by restaurant owner Aakib Aminbhai Khan challenging the prohibition.

The restaurant owners argued that the restriction would severely affect their businesses and questioned the rationale behind imposing dietary restrictions, with senior advocate Huzefa Ahmadi stressing that food choices were a matter of personal freedom and that the ban was hurting commercial establishments.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Gujarat government, informed the Court that the High Court was scheduled to hear the matter on November 25.

The Supreme Court subsequently requested the High Court to decide the appeal within two months, bringing the proceedings before it to a close without adjudicating the validity of the ban.

The dispute stems from an August 10 notification issued by a District Magistrate prohibiting the preparation, sale and storage of non-vegetarian food at eateries, hotels, shops and roadside stalls in specified areas, including those within 500 metres of Somnath Temple.

Six restaurant owners had challenged the notification before the Gujarat High Court. On October 30, a single-judge Bench set aside the restriction, but a Division Bench stayed that order later the same day following an appeal by the Gujarat government, thereby restoring the ban.

The High Court’s final decision on the validity of the notification is awaited. DeshGujarat