Allahabad HC dismisses habeas corpus plea of cow slaughter accused

The Allahabad High Court has dismissed a habeas corpus petition filed by an accused in a cow slaughter case, upholding his detention under the National Security Act (NSA). A bench of Justices JJ Munir and Sanjiv Kumar observed that the matter pertained to “public order” and not merely “law and order”.

 “We have carefully perused the detention order and find that the matter certainly pertains to public order and not to law and order,” the court said. The bench further observed that no one has the right to violate the provisions of the Uttar Pradesh Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act, 1955 and emphasised the need to maintain communal harmony.

The petition was filed by one Sameer through his father Shamshad, challenging his detention ordered by the District Magistrate of Shamli on May 15, 2025, under the NSA. According to the case details, a police team on March 15, 2025, recovered remains of a cow from a field in Lavvadaudpur village in Shamli district. An FIR was subsequently registered under the relevant sections of the cow slaughter law.

The investigation revealed the involvement of five accused, including the petitioner, police said.

The court noted that the alleged act was not an ordinary offence affecting individuals but one that had triggered public outrage among a large section of the local population, especially with Holi approaching at the time. “This kind of offence, if repeated, would imperil the even tempo of life of the locality and consequently public order,” the bench said.

In its April 16 order, the court held that there was no infirmity in the detention order and dismissed the habeas corpus petition.