An Act to provide for restriction on the slaughter of certain animals and for control of consumption of meat thereof. 1 WHEREAS it is necessary to provide for powers to restrict the slaughter of animals and to control the consumption of meat thereof; It is hereby enacted as follows:-
Section 1. Short title, extent and commencement
(1) This Act may be called the 2 * Animals Slaughter (Restriction) and Meat Control Act, 1957.
(2) It extends to the whole of 3Bangladesh.
(3) It shall come into force at once.
Section 2. Definitions
In this Act, unless there is anything repugnant in the subject or context,-
(a) “animal” means any bull, bullock, cow, ox, heifer, 4calf, buffalo, goat and sheep;
(b) “carcase” means the dead body or any portion of the dead body of an animal as defined in clause (a);
(c) “catering establishment” means any hotel, restaurant, eating house, cafe, canteen, and includes any other place of a like nature open to the public or to any limited class of the public where meat in any form is consumed or procurable;
(d) “meat” means the flesh or other edible portion of any animal which has been slaughtered in a slaughter-house as defined in clause (f) ;
(e) “prohibited day” means a day on which the slaughter of animal and the sale of meat thereof is prohibited by the Government by notification in the official Gazette; and
(f) “slaughter-house” means any place used for the slaughter of any animal for the purpose of selling the flesh thereof as meat or otherwise, but excludes any slaughter-house belonging to or maintained by the 5Armed Forces of Bangladesh.
Section 3. No slaughter of animal or sale of flesh or meat on prohibited day
(1) No person shall, during the period of 24 hours commencing at sunset on the day immediately preceding the prohibited day, slaughter any animal at any slaughter-house or at any other place for the sale of its meat.
(2) No person shall on any prohibited day sell or expose for sale any meat at any market or other place.
Section 4. Restriction on supply and sale in the catering establishment
No owner, Manager or person in charge of or having control of any catering establishment shall on a prohibited day sell or expose for sale or serve, supply or cause to be served, supplied or sold any food containing meat in such catering establishment.
Section 5. Restrictions on slaughter of animals
No person shall slaughter or cause or permit to be slaughtered or offer for slaughter in a slaughter-house-
6(a) a she-goat or ewe below the age of two years or any other female animal below the age of three years;
(b) a he-goat, ram or lamb of or below the age of one year or any other male animal of or below the age of seven years, if such animal is used or is capable of being used for draught or breeding purposes;
(c) a she-goat or ewe of or below the age of five years or any other female animal of or below the age of ten years, if such animal is not unsuitable for bearing offspring and is capable of producing milk; or
(d) any female animal which is pregnant or is in milk:
Provided that nothing in this section shall apply to any animal which on account of any bodily injury, illness or other infirmity is certified in writing by an officer of the 7Directorate of Livestock Services not below the rank of Thana Livestock Officer,-
(i) in the case of an animal falling under clause (a), to be unlikely to live or to be fit for any of the purposes enumerated in clauses (b) or (c) as the case may be;
(ii) in the case of an animal falling under clauses (b) or (c), to be unfit for the purposes respectively enumerated therein; and
(iii) in the case of an animal falling under clause (d), to be unfit to be allowed to remain pregnant or produce milk:
Provided further that if any such certificate is proved to have been procured through fraud or collusion it will be treated as invalid and the officer giving such certificate shall be severely dealt with.
Section 6. Power of authorised Officer
(1) Any Officer authorised by Government by notification in the official Gazette in this behalf may-
(a) at any time enter and inspect any place used or believed to be used for the slaughter of animals for the purpose of selling or consuming the meat thereof or any place where meat is sold or exposed for sale or where any food containing meat is served, supplied or sold if there is reason to believe that meat has been or is being served, supplied, sold or exposed for sale in such place in contravention of the provisions of this Act;
(b) seize any animal or the carcase thereof found in such place, or any meat, receptacle, covering in which such meat is found or any other article by means of which he has reason to believe that contravention of any provision of the Act has been or is being or is likely to be committed;
(c) require the owner, Manager or person in charge or control of any slaughter-house or of any catering establishment to furnish such information as may be necessary for the purpose of securing compliance with this Act.
(2) The Officer taking action under sub-section (1) of this section shall immediately report the matter to the nearest Magistrate having jurisdiction to enquire into or try the case or to the Officer-in-charge of the nearest police-station who on receiving such report shall have the same powers of investigation as he may exercise in a cognizable case, but shall not arrest without warrant:
Provided that the Officer-in-charge or any other officer exercising any power under this Act shall have the power to dispose of any carcase by sale or otherwise as may appear to him to be most suitable if he is satisfied that the carcase is liable to speedy decay.
(3) The report of the officer-in-charge mentioned in sub-section (2), submitted to the Magistrate shall be deemed to be a report under clause (b) of sub-section (1) of section 190 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898.
Section 7. Penalty
If any person contravenes any provisions of this Act,-
(a) he shall on conviction by a competent Court be punishable with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to 6 months or with fine not exceeding 8Taka 1000 or with both.
(b) without prejudice to the punishment referred to in clause (a), any Court trying the offence may order that any animal or the carcase of such animal in respect of which the Court is satisfied that the offence has been committed, shall be forfeited to the Government and disposed of by sale or otherwise as may be prescribed.
Section 8. Deposit of sums
All sums realised under sub-section (2) of section 6 or under section 7 shall be deposited in the Government Treasury in such manner as may be prescribed.
Section 9. Exceptions
9(1) Nothing in this Act shall apply to animals slaughtered or to be slaughtered-
(a) on the day of Id-uz-Zoha and Id-ul-Fitre and the two days succeeding each of those festivals, or
(b) for preparation of goat tissue vaccine or for any other research work in the vaccine and research laboratories of the Directorate of Livestock Services.
(2) The Government may from time to time prescribe such other occasions in relation to which any or all of the provisions of this Act shall not apply.
Section 10. Rules
The Government may make rules to give effect to the provisions of this Act.
Section 11. Public servant
Any person empowered to perform any function under this Act shall be deemed to be a public servant within the meaning of section 21 of the 10 * Penal Code.
Section 12. Indemnity
(1) No Civil or Criminal proceeding shall lie against any person for anything done or intended to be done in good faith under this Act.
(2) No proceeding shall lie against the Government for any action taken under this Act.
Section 13. [Repealed]
[Repeal and saving.- Repealed by section 3 and the Second Schedule of the East Pakistan Repealing and Amending Ordinance, 1966 (East Pakistan Ordinance No. XIII of 1966).]