New Delhi, July 1 -- The Tamil Nadu government has approached the Supreme Court challenging the May 27 Madras High Court's order, which imposed a blanket ban on the slaughter of cows and calves in the state.

The State government has argued that the High Court had gone beyond the framework of the law by directing a blanket prohibition on cow slaughter.

"In a writ petition seeking a direction to 'prevent the slaughter of cows in public places', the High Court ought to have travelled beyond the issue involved, to impose an absolute and blanket ban on the slaughter of cows and calves' on the eve of Bakrid or any other day'," the appeal of the government stated.

On May 27, the High Court, while hearing a Public Interest Litigation filed by ...