Mumbai, Aug 18 (PTI) The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), which invited the ire of the Bombay High Court earlier this week over its "erroneous" online mechanism to grant permission for animal slaughter for Bakra Eid, today told the court that henceforth, it will be more stringent while granting such permissions online.

In an affidavit filed before a bench of justices AS Oka and RI Chagla, the civic body submitted that the idea of granting permissions online was a "well-intentioned" one and was meant to ease the process of applying for and securing permissions for animal slaughter this year.

The affidavit, filed through Yogesh Shetye, general manager of the BMC-run Deonar Abattoir, stated that the online mechanism was introduced to encourage people to apply for permissions, rather than carry out animal sacrifice illegally.

"The online system was well-intentioned and it was to ensure that people intending to celebrate the festival would not illegally carry out sacrifices. It was introduced in order to simplify the process," the affidavit stated.

It added that the online mechanism was also supposed to help the BMC keep a record of the number of animals being sacrificed this year.

"The municipal corporation has now decided to stringently decide upon all applications that it receives online for animal sacrifice. All applications that are not in consonance with the Mumbai Municipal Act will be rejected," the affidavit said.

It was filed in compliance with a previous high court order, following a petition filed by a local trust alleging that the BMC was granting permissions for animal slaughter online without verification.

Yesterday, Sujay Kantawala, the petitioner's lawyer, had produced records to show that some lawyers had applied for permission for animal slaughter using false names and addresses and were granted the same.

One of the lawyers had even managed to secure permission to slaughter five goats inside the very courtroom where the petition is being heard.

The bench had called the online system "ridiculous" and "shocking" and asked the BMC to file an affidavit, spelling out the corrective measures.

In the interim, the civic body had agreed to stop the online system till the next hearing on Monday.

The bench had also asked the BMC whether granting permission for animal slaughter at places other than the licensed slaughterhouses was in violation of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.

The civic body, however, submitted in the affidavit that the municipal laws provided for grant of permission for animal slaughter on religious occasions as long as conditions such as doing so hygienically, at confined spaces, without causing inconvenience to others were fulfilled and the waste management norms met with.

Therefore, the online system was not in violation of any laws, the BMC said.

It also submitted that last year too it had granted permissions for animal slaughter online and there was no complaint.

"Last year, the online mechanism was used in some cases and it proved to be a success. This petition has been filed at the eleventh hour with mala fide intentions," it submitted.

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