Supreme Court stays Madras High Court order on statewide cow slaughter ban in Tamil Nadu

Direct fact

On July 13, 2026, a Supreme Court Bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta stayed the Madras High Court’s May 27, 2026 order that had directed Tamil Nadu to enforce a statewide prohibition on the slaughter of cows and calves.

Key specifics

• The Tamil Nadu Animal Preservation Act, 1958 permits slaughter of cows over 10 years of age if a competent authority declares them unfit for work and breeding.
• The State cited the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Slaughter House) Rules, 2001, as laws that regulate slaughter conditions.
• The High Court order was passed by a Division Bench of Justices G.R. Swaminathan and V. Lakshminarayanan ahead of Bakrid on May 28, 2026.
• The High Court relied on a 1976 Tamil Nadu government order banning cow slaughter to promote milk production and the rural economy.
• The Supreme Court issued notice on the Tamil Nadu government’s appeal and stayed the order insofar as it required a complete ban on cow slaughter.

Exam lens

Polity and law question type: Article-free statutory interpretation, Tamil Nadu Animal Preservation Act 1958, Bakrid 2026, Supreme Court stay, High Court division bench. TNPSC may ask which law permits slaughter of cows over 10 years and which court stayed the ban.