Can't order everybody in India to become vegetarian: Supreme Court to NGOs demanding ban on meat export

"Do you want everybody in this country to be vegetarian?" the Supreme Court Friday asked a petitioner who has challenged export of meat from India.

A bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta made this observation while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) which said that export of meat cannot be encouraged or promoted in the country.

"We cannot pass an order that everyone should become vegetarian," the bench told the counsel appearing for the petitioner organisation.

The counsel told the court that this matter should be heard after which the bench posted it for hearing in February.

The court also dealt with a separate petition filed by the organisation on the issue of promoting organic farming in the country.

At the outset, the bench said that this issue was for the government to decide.

The petitioner's counsel told the court that they have already raised this issue before the government but no steps have been taken in this regard.

"It is not our job to tell all this to the government," the bench said and posted the matter for hearing in February.