NEW DELHI, Feb 22: The Supreme Court of India, on Friday criticized the Assam government during the hearing of a case involving the transportation of beef, suggesting that the state “should have better things to do” than pursuing such cases. The bench, comprising Justices AS Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan, stayed the criminal proceedings against the accused and scheduled a hearing on the nature of the seized product for April 16, 2025. The court acknowledged the need for further deliberation and decided to revisit the matter in April.

The case revolves around a man accused of transporting beef, with the state informing the court that the meat sample was being sent to a forensic lab for testing. The bench questioned the practicality of identifying different types of meat solely by visual inspection, stating, “How can a person distinguish between different types of meat just by looking?” The court noted that determining the type of raw meat by naked eye inspection is not feasible.

The defense counsel argued that the accused, a warehouse owner, did not know the type of meat being transported, while the state’s counsel contended that the accused was actively involved in packaging and selling the meat. Referring to Section 8 of the Assam Cattle Preservation Act, the court highlighted that the law applies only if the accused had prior knowledge that the meat being transported was beef. As the case progresses, the court intends to assess the matter further during the hearing scheduled for April.