Rajasthan High Court Directs State To Decide Kota Meat Shop Owners' Plea For License Renewal, Stays Coercive Action For 4 Weeks

The Rajasthan High Court on Friday (May 30) directed the State authorities not to take any coercive action for four weeks against meat shop owners in Kota whose shops had been directed to be seized and closed by the municipal authorities. 

While disposing of the plea moved by certain meat shop owners of the city, the Court further directed the Respondent-authorities to decide their applications for renewal of license expeditiously, preferably within four weeks. 

Justice Anoop Kumar Dhand in his order said :

"Considering the arguments put forward by the learned counsel for the petitioners and looking to the fact that the petitioners were granted licenses to run meat shops and the validity of the same has expired and thereafter, several  applications have been submitted by the petitioners for renewal of the same before the competent authority but in spite of passing of considerable time, the application submitted by the petitioners have not been decided, the instant writ petition stands disposed of by issuing directions to the respondents to decide the applications (pending, if any) for renewal of licenses expeditiously, as early as possible, preferably within a period of four weeks from the date of receipt of certified copy of the order". 

The court however made clear that it has not issued any order/direction to the respondents to decide the application(s) in "a particular way". The court said that the authorities are at liberty to decide the same strictly as per law. 

"For a period of four weeks, no coercive action be taken against the petitioner," the court added. 

The order was passed on a petition filed by a group of meat shop owners seeking direction to the authorities to reopen the seized shops, renew the licenses and compensate the shop owners for seizing and closing the business establishment. 

The shop owners submitted that they had been running the shops for generations, and the shops were registered under the Rajasthan Shops and Commercial Establishment Act, 1958. Later, these shops were also registered under the Food Safety and Standard Act, 2006, and a registration certificate was also issued by the Medical, Health and Family Welfare Department, Government of Rajasthan, and the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India.

The shop owners submitted that while they were carrying on their business, the Municipal Corporation, Kota (North) and (South) issued notices for seizing the shops even though the shopowners had valid licenses. It was pointed out that though representations were given for renewing the licenses, no suitable actions were taken on the same.

The plea claims that the Deputy Commissioner Kota, North vide its order of  February 11 seized the meat shop of the petitioners for further orders. Subsequently the Deputy Commissioner vide its March 12 notice directed the petitioner to close his shop immediately, otherwise legal action would be taken. 

The shop owners thus argued that the action taken by the Municipal Corporation was illegal, arbitrary, malafide, irrational and discriminatory. It was contended that the shops were seized and petitioners were asked to close down the shops without giving an opportunity of being heard which was against the law and in gross violation of Article 14, 19, and 21 of the Constitution.

Advocate Ansar Indori appeared for the meat shop owners.

Title: Nadeem Ansari and Ors v. State of Rajasthan

Case No: SB Civil Writ Petition No. 8274 of 2025