On Saturday, the Uttar Pradesh government declared that all items certified as Halal would no longer be allowed to be produced or sold in the state. According to a statement, the Yogi Adityanath-led regime has officially banned the manufacturing, distribution, storage, and sale of food items bearing the Halal certification as of right now.
The move to prohibit some companies and religious organizations, like the powerful Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind, comes after an ongoing police investigation in Uttar Pradesh over allegations that they used “forged” halal certificates to “exploit people’s religious sentiments in order to boost sales.”
Strict legal action will be taken, per the government order, against any person or company who produces, stores, distributes, purchases, or sells medical equipment, cosmetics, or medications with a Halal certification in the state of Uttar Pradesh.
It did say, however, that the restrictions will not apply to items intended for export.
All Goods certified as Halal are banned
According to the order, in an attempt to “exploit a certain religious group,” things including dairy products, sugar, bakery goods, peppermint oil, salty ready-to-eat drinks, and edible oils are being marked as Halal. The UP government has received solid information to support this claim.
The Uttar Pradesh government has issued an order prohibiting the mention of Halal certification on labels for pharmaceuticals, food items, cosmetics, and medical devices.The order states that there are no government standards pertaining to Halal certification for these items. Under the 1940 Drugs and Cosmetics Act, any mention of Halal certification, whether direct or indirect, on the labelling of medications, medical equipment, or cosmetics is considered falsification and is illegal.
Confusion and breaking government regulations: the ruling highlights the function of Halal certification as a “parallel system” for regular food quality certification by the state. The action follows the filing of a lawsuit alleging that many organizations—Halal India Private Limited in Chennai and Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind Halal Trust in Delhi, among others—provided phony halal.
UP Minister Sanjay Nishad responded by commending Chief Minister Adityanath for putting an end to these “conspiracies” and making sure that mafia and other wrongdoers in the state face severe consequences. In addition to pursuing legal action against individuals responsible, the government seeks to educate people appropriately about conspiracies in madrasas, schools, and trusts.
