AHMEDABAD, DEC 10
Civil rights activists on Friday lauded the Gujarat High Court for pulling up the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation over its recent drive against stalls selling non-vegetarian food, while a civic body functionary ruled out discrimination in removal of the food carts.
The court on Thursday questioned how people could be stopped from “eating what they want” outside their house, and slammed the civic body for its drive against handcarts selling non-vegetarian food items on streets.
Civil rights activist and lawyer K R Koshti welcomed the court’s observation saying no one has the right to infringe upon fundamental right to personal liberty.
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“Even the Gujarat government had earlier clarified that people are free to eat whatever they want. Article 21 of the Constitution guarantees people’s fundamental right to personal liberty, such as what to eat and what to wear. No government has the right to infringe upon people”s right,” Koshti said.
Mujahid Nafees, convener of the Minority Coordination Committee, said the drive of removing handcarts selling only non-veg food items was another tactic by the BJP-led government to divide the society based on the food they eat.
“I am glad that the court made some scathing remarks on it. Eventually, the AMC had to announce that there was no discrimination,” he added.
Devang Dani, chairman of AMC’s town planning and estate committee, last month said carts selling non-veg and egg dishes along the major roads and in a 100-metre radius from schools, colleges, gardens and religious places will be removed.
However, after Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel intervened, Dani clarified that veg food vendors will also face action.
“That was an anti-encroachment drive only. There is no question of discrimination. We have removed carts irrespective of the food they were selling,” Dani said on Friday.
He said the anti-encroachment drive was stopped after a couple of days and the municipal body is at present not carrying out any such drive against street food carts.
