SC notices to Centre, five states over cow vigilantes
REITERATION Cong leader seeks cow protection groups to be declared illegal
The Supreme Court asked the central government and five BJP-ruled states on Friday to respond within three weeks to a petition seeking a ban on cow protection groups amid growing outrage against the vigilantes accused of widespread violence and the killing of a dairy farmer in Alwar, Rajasthan.
The top court issued notices to Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Jharkhand, and Rajasthan, where a Muslim man was lynched allegedly by cow vigilantes on a highway this week. Response was also sought from Congress-ruled Karnataka.
The petition was filed by Congress leader Tehseen Poonawalla, who called for cow protection groups to be declared illegal and said there has been a spike in instances of cow vigilantism. The next date of hearing is May 3.
This comes days after the vigilantes – called gau rakshaks – thrashed five men on the JaipurDelhi highway, leading to death of one, called Pehlu Khan, in hospital. The men had valid permits for transport of cows and calves. Earlier this week, Gujarat made cow slaughter punishable by life imprisonment.
This was the latest in a string of cow-related violence but various state governments have defended the action on the grounds of the sentiment attached to the animal, consid
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