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Eating food of choice, be it meat, is an aspect of the Right to Food

The Allahabad High Court has held that the right to choice of food falls within the fundamental right to food. This observation was made by the Court while granting relief to the petitioner, whose application for renewal of license for selling goat meat was not reviewed by the municipality.

Criticising the lack of response to the Petitioner’s application, the Court noted that the State’s approach to cattle slaughter had the effect of prohibition on the trade of the Petitioner, and was in violation of his fundamental rights under Article 19 (livelihood) and 21 (life) of the Constitution of India. This decision is significant, given the crackdown of the State government on slaughterhouses in UP, and the ban on beef imposed by several state governments.

Saeed Ahmed v State of U.P., Misc. Bench No.  6871 of 2017