WEST BENGAL ISSUES FRESH NOTICE ON BAN ON UNAUTHORISED CATTLE SLAUGHTER

New Delhi, May 14, 2026 : The BJP-led West Bengal government has issued a notice reiterating a complete ban on the slaughter of cattle or buffaloes without a mandatory fitness certificate, citing provisions of the West Bengal Animal Slaughter Control Act, 1950, and a 2018 Calcutta High Court order.

According to the notification, the fitness certificate can only be issued jointly by the Chairperson of a Municipality or the President of a Panchayat Samiti along with a government veterinary officer. Both authorities must certify in writing that the animal is over 14 years of age and unfit for work or breeding purposes, or has become permanently incapacitated due to old age, injury, deformity, or any incurable disease.

The government has also directed that slaughter of animals can take place only at municipal slaughterhouses or facilities designated by the local administration, effectively prohibiting slaughter at unauthorised public places.

Violation of the provisions of the Act may attract imprisonment of up to six months, a fine of up to Rs 1,000, or both.

The notification further stated that in case a fitness certificate is denied, the applicant may appeal before the state government within 15 days from the date of communication of the rejection.

The move comes after the BJP came to power in West Bengal following the 2026 Assembly elections, ending 15 years of Trinamool Congress rule led by Mamata Banerjee.

In the 294-member Assembly, the BJP secured 206 seats, registering a sharp rise from the 77 seats it had won in the previous election. The Trinamool Congress, which had won 212 seats in the last Assembly polls, was reduced to 80 seats.