Gujarat High Court Restores Somnath Temple Meat Ban Hours After Lifting It

The Gujarat High Court struck down a government prohibition on meat sales near the Somnath temple on Friday, but reversed the decision less than four hours later. A single-judge bench initially ruled in favor of six restaurants that challenged the August 10 administrative notification restricting non-vegetarian food distribution within half a kilometer of the temple.

Following the afternoon ruling, state officials requested a stay and quickly filed an appeal before a division bench before the initial order was even published. By evening, the division bench granted a stay to keep the restriction active and scheduled the next hearing for December 26.

The state government defended the regulation by citing the high volume of pilgrims visiting the religious site and compared it to restrictions at other pilgrimage centers like Amritsar and Haridwar. Meanwhile, the petitioning restaurants argued that the ban exceeded police act authorities and threatened the livelihoods of numerous workers who had operated in the area for decades.