New Delhi, March 29: The Supreme Court today directed the Centre to review the meat export policy in the light of potentially harmful effects on the livestock population and the economy of the country.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Y.K. Sabharwal, however, held that no constitutional provision barred states from enacting laws allowing slaughter of milch cattle after a certain age.

Turning down pleas seeking a directive for total prohibition of slaughter of milch cattle in Karnataka, the court said forcing such a ban would amount to judicial legislation and would encroach upon the powers of the state legislature.

On being pointed out that a Constitution bench of the apex court had last year upheld a total ban on slaughter of cows, the court clarified that the judgment did not say that laws and policies permitting such slaughter would be unconstitutional.

“Therefore, the position of law remains that the directive principles and fundamental duties cannot in themselves serve to invalidate a legislation or a policy,” the court said.

A bench headed by then Chief Justice R.C. Lahoti had last year upheld a total ban on cow slaughter in Gujarat. The court had relied on directive principles which called for protection and prohibition of slaughter of milch and drought cattle irrespective of age or usefulness. It had thereby struck down a 1957 apex court judgment against a ban on slaughter of even old cattle.