India, July 13 -- The Supreme Court has stayed the Madras High Court's order directing a blanket ban on cow slaughter in Tamil Nadu, granting interim relief to the Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government. The apex court's order comes ahead of Bakrid after the state challenged the High Court's ruling.

The Tamil Nadu government had argued that the High Court's May 27 order went beyond the scope of the original public interest litigation (PIL), which sought only to prevent the slaughter of cows in public places during Bakrid in Coimbatore. Instead, the High Court directed the state to ensure that no cow or calf was slaughtered anywhere in Tamil Nadu on Bakrid or any other day.

In its petition before the Supreme Court, the state...