The Lakshadweep administration has directed school authorities to comply with the Supreme Court order to continue serving non-vegetarian food in mid-day meals for school children, PTI reported on Saturday.

“Food, including meat, chicken, fish and egg, and other items, prepared and served to the school going children of Lakshadweep, as done in the past, should be continued until further orders,” an order issued by the Directorate of Education said. “To make it clear, the earlier system should continue.”

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The Supreme Court had passed the order on May 2 on a plea challenging the Lakshadweep administration’s decision to ban meat from mid-day meals and to shut down dairy farms on the islands.

Ajmal Ahmed, a Lakshadweep-based lawyer had first challenged the decisions in the Kerala High Court. He moved the top court after the High Court rejected his plea in September 2021.

In his plea, Ahmed had contended that the regulations introduced by Lakshadweep Administrator Praful Khoda Patel infringe upon the heritage, ethnic culture, food habits and the rights granted by the Constitution of India.

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He had pointed out that Lakshadweep had been serving meat in mid-day meals since 1950s to students from pre-primary to elementary levels and that since 2009, non-vegetarian meals were provided to students till Class 12 as well.

In its defence, the Lakshadweep administration had told the Kerala High Court that there are no rules or any stipulations that meat and chicken will be provided in mid-day meals to schoolchildren.

“States and UTs [Union Territories] have the freedom to decide on the menu…satisfying nutritional requirements,” the administration had said, according to The Indian Express. “As meat and chicken are normally part of the regular menu in almost all Lakshadweep families, the UT administration decided to omit them, and instead provide fruit and dry fruit, which are [consumed] less [by the islanders].”