Karnataka High Court Quashes Govt Ban On Non-Veg Food Near Honneshwara Temple

The Karnataka High Court has struck down the state government’s order banning the sale and consumption of non-vegetarian food within 200 metres of the Honneshwaraswamy Temple in Tumakuru, calling it arbitrary and unconstitutional. 

The government informed the court that a fresh notice will be issued within a week, restricting the prohibition solely to animal sacrifice, and clarifying that there would be no bar on the consumption of non-vegetarian food.

The court held that dietary choices cannot be dictated under the pretext of protecting religious sanctity and that such restrictions violate the right to livelihood of vendors and the right to equality of consumers.

The court upholds individual freedoms while respecting religious sentiments. The bench observed that the state cannot enforce food restrictions that infringe upon individual rights.

[Honneshwaraswamy Devasthana Jeernodhara Seva Samithi Trust v. State of Karnataka]