Kohima, April 22 -- A division bench of the Gauhati High Court (GHC) on Wednesday delivered a split verdict on two writ petitions seeking ban on sale of dog meat in Nagaland with one of the judges registering his dissent.

The two appeals - one filed by People For Animals (PFA) and Humane Society International/India in 2023, and the other by Akhil Bharat Krishi Goseva Sangh in 2024 - challenged a June 2, 2023 HC judgment which quashed Nagaland government's July 2020 order to ban the commercial import, trading of dogs and dog markets, and commercial sale of dog meat in restaurants.

Addressing pending judgment on the two appeals on Wednesday, the Kohima bench of the Gauhati High Court registered opposing directives. While Justice Budi Habu...