New Delhi, July 13 -- The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the Madras High Court's direction to the Tamil Nadu government to ban cow slaughter in the State.

A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta passed the interim order while hearing an appeal filed by the Tamil Nadu government challenging the High Court's May 27 directions.

The State government had moved the top court against the Madras HC decision, arguing that the High Court had travelled beyond the scope of the public interest litigation, which sought directions to prevent the slaughter of cows in public places, by imposing a blanket prohibition on the slaughter of cows and calves across the State.

According to the appeal, the High Court's direction effectively prohibited...