STF interrogates chief of Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind Halal Trust in certified products sale case

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], February 21 (ANI): The Special Task Force (STF) on Wednesday interrogated Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind Halal Trust chief Mahmood Madani in connection with a criminal case lodged in Uttar Pradesh in 2023 over the ban on halal-certified products. He sought time to file a reply over the same.
On February 13, the Lucknow Police arrested four officials of the Halal Council of India, Mumbai for issuing fake Halal certificates to companies without proper sampling or testing.
On January 25, The Supreme Court granted protection from any coercive action against Mahmood Madani and other office-bearers concerning a criminal case lodged over the ban on halal-certified products.
A bench of Justices BR Gavai and Sandeep Mehta ordered no coercive action by Uttar Pradesh police against Madani and others.
The bench also issued notice on its plea challenging the Uttar Pradesh government's ban on the manufacture, sale, storage and distribution of halal-certified products.
Earlier in January the apex court had issued notice to the Uttar Pradesh government on two pleas by Halal India Private Limited and Jamiat Ulam e-Hind Halal Trust Maharashtra seeking quashing of notification wherein manufacture, sale, storage and distribution of halal-certified products were banned in the state of Uttar Pradesh.
The counsel appearing for Jamiat argued that despite the organisation having already joined the investigation and duly supplied all documents sought, the State government has summoned the trust president and asked him to be present in person, without specifying what is needed from him.
The two petitions filed earlier sought direction to quash the November 18 notification Uttar Pradesh's Food Safety and Drug Administration and FIRs registered against them subsequently.
Petitions challenged a ban imposed by the Uttar Pradesh government on the "manufacture, sale, storage, and distribution of halal-certified products" on November 18.
Lucknow police had registered an FIR on November 17 at Hazratganj police station against some organisations, production companies, their owners and managers as well as other unidentified people involved in unnecessarily extorting money in the name of halal certification and promoting enmity in the name of religion and also funding different anti-national, separatist and terror organisations. (ANI)