Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, during a hearing in the Supreme Court of India yesterday, highlighted the rising costs of halal-certified products, arguing that people across the nation are being forced to purchase these pricier items due to demand from a minority.

His remarks came before a bench of Justices BR Gavai and AG Masih, as the Court considered challenges to the Halal Ban imposed by the Uttar Pradesh government.

Mehta also expressed astonishment over the range of products being labeled halal-certified. He noted that while halal certification for meat is not controversial, it is alarming to find items such as cement and water bottles being sold as halal-certified.

The Court had earlier issued notice in the petition filed by Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind Halal Trust, which had successfully secured protection from coercive action for its chief Mahmood Madani and other office-bearers. In response to the ongoing challenge, the Court had previously asked for the Uttar Pradesh government’s position on petitions filed by Halal India Private Limited and Jamiat Ulama-e-Maharashtra, contesting the state’s ban on halal-certified products.

The Uttar Pradesh government had enacted a ban in November 2024, prohibiting the manufacture, sale, storage, and distribution of halal-certified products. The ban is being challenged on the grounds that it infringes on fundamental rights and disrupts established certification processes, causing confusion for retailers and affecting legitimate trade practices.

When questioned about why the matter had not been taken to the High Court, Senior Advocates Siddharth Aggarwal and Raju Ramachandran, representing the petitioners, emphasized that the ban’s impact extended beyond state boundaries, affecting interstate commerce.

The case has drawn attention due to a previous Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Advocate Vibhor Anand in 2022, calling for a nationwide ban on halal-certified products and the nullification of certifications dating back to 1974. The PIL alleges that certification bodies like Jamiat-Ulama-E-Maharashtra and Jamiat-Ulama-i-Hind Halal Trust have religious affiliations and their certification process lacks scientific validation, which could influence Muslim consumer choices worldwide.