Supreme Court Dismisses Appeal Challenging Removal Of Meat From Midday Meals In Lakshadweep

The Supreme Court dismissed an appeal on Thursday (14 September) that challenged the Lakshadweep administration's decision to remove meat from the midday meal menu in schools in the union territory.

The court stated that the appellant did not identify any violation of legal provisions.

The bench of Justices Aniruddha Bose and Bela M Trivedi considered this decision as a "policy decision" that falls outside the scope of judicial review.

They emphasised that it is not the court's role to determine the food choices for children in a specific region.

In September 2021, the Kerala High Court rejected a public interest litigation that questioned the removal of meat from school meals and the closure of dairy farms in the union territory.

The Supreme Court upheld the judgment of the Kerala High Court, stating that there was no error in dismissing the public interest litigation.

The court noted that the administration had decided to include non-vegetarian items like eggs and fish in the midday meal, which were readily available in abundance on the islands.

The court emphasised that it was not within their jurisdiction to determine the food choices for children in a specific region, and guesswork on this matter was not permissible.

The bench emphasised that unless there was clear evidence of arbitrariness, the court had to accept the administrative decision. Since there was no legal violation in the decisions being challenged, the appeal was dismissed.