NO Law Prohibits Consumption of Chicken Over Ganga River

NO Law Prohibits Consumption of Chicken Over Ganga River

National Law Institute University (NLIU), Bhopal | 25 July 2026
In a scathing indictment of state overreach and the systemic breakdown of bail jurisprudence, Supreme Court Justice Ujjal Bhuyan declared that consuming chicken biryani is not an offence, launching a fierce critique against the three-month incarceration of 14 Muslim youths in Uttar Pradesh.
Delivering the key address at the 4th Justice G P Singh Memorial Lecture hosted at the National Law Institute University NLIU in Bhopal, Justice Bhuyan used the high-profile Varanasi boat incident to warn of an alarming nationwide trend: the routine criminalisation of ordinary, lawful conduct and a contraction of democratic space for dissent.

THE VARANASI VERDICT

The controversy dates back to March, when the Varanasi Police apprehended 14 Muslim youths following a viral social media video. The group had hired a boat on the Ganga River to break their daily Ramzan fast (iftar).
Local complainants alleged that the men were eating chicken biryani and discarding food remnants into the sacred waters, arguing that the act hurt religious sentiments.

The youths were subsequently booked under severe provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita BNS and environmental regulations:

Section 298 BNS: Injuring or defiling a place of worship with intent to insult religion.
Section 299 BNS: Deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings.
Section 196(1)B BNS: Promoting enmity between different groups.
Section 270 and 279 BNS: Public nuisance and fouling water of a public spring or reservoir.
The (Water Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974.

Dismantling the statutory legitimacy of these arrests, Justice Bhuyan stated before a packed auditorium of legal scholars and students:

"I am sure consuming chicken biryani is not an offence. It can't be an offence. There is no law prohibiting consumption of chicken over the Ganga River; they were arrested for that very reason and they had to remain in jail for three months. Can people be arrested and denied bail for three months for such an activity...? Citizens are watching, people are watching."

Justice Bhuyan 

 

SHRINKING DEMOCRATIC SPACE AND RESTRICTIVE BAIL CONDITIONS

Justice Bhuyan warned that public avenues for dissent are progressively shrinking as criminal law is increasingly deployed against ordinary citizens. He noted that student activists, environmental protesters, and minorities are frequently subjected to prolonged detentions for minor or lawful activities.

Furthermore, the Supreme Court judge turned his focus inward, criticizing lower and intermediate tiers of the judiciary for imposing restrictive bail conditions - such as mandatory social media gags, travel bans, or prohibitions on attending public gatherings. He cautioned that while higher courts ultimately rectify these matters, systemic delays render the relief belated, effectively punishing individuals before trial.

FACT-CHECK

Speaker: Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, Judge, Supreme Court of India

Event and Venue: 4th Justice G P Singh Memorial Lecture, National Law Institute University NLIU, Bhopal

Date: 25 July 2026

Trigger Incident: Varanasi boat Iftar gathering; 14 youths jailed for 90 days in March 2026

Key Constitutional Focus: Articles 19(1)A and 19(1)B - Freedom of Speech and Peaceful Assembly