Bombay High Court bench ruled that mere possession of a dead animal’s skin would not amount to an offence under the 1976 Maharashtra Animal Preservation Act, which prohibits slaughtering, importing, exporting and possessing beef. The court also mentioned that any state government order prohibiting possession of skin will not prevail over the provisions of the statute. The court made the observation on December 14 after hearing a plea by Shafiqullaha Kha, driver of the van allegedly carrying the skin of dead cows, who saught to quash FIR against him