Rajasthan HC judge wants cow as national animal, lifer for slaughter

It is believed that 33 crore gods and goddesses reside inside the cow…cow is the only living being which intakes oxygen and emits oxygen

The Rajasthan high court on Wednesday asked the central and state governments to declare the cow as India’s national animal and ensure life terms in jail for those who kill the animal considered holy by many Hindus.

Justice Mahesh Chand Sharma passed the directive while disposing of a public interest litigation filed by advocate Poonam Chand Bhandari in 2010 over death of more than 500 cows at a government-run shelter at Hingonia, near Jaipur.

The court said any person or organization was free to file a PIL for getting cow the status of national animal.

The judge retired from service on Wednesday. Sharma also listed 11 benefits of cow urine. “It is believed that 33 crore gods and goddesses reside inside the cow…cow is the only living being which intakes oxygen and emits oxygen,” the judge said.

“It is expected from the government that it should declare cow as national animal and for this purpose the chief secretary and advocate general of state are declared legal custodians of cow,” the judge said in a 145-page order, calling himself a Shiv devotee.

The order comes amid a fierce nationwide debate on a central government notification that banned the sale of cattle for slaughter at animal farms.Cow slaughter is banned in most states of India, including Rajasthan.

Since the BJP stormed to power in 2014, the issue has sparked raucous debates, especially with the rising power of cow protection vigilante groups. Last month, a dairy farmer was lynched in Rajasthan’s Alwar by alleged cow vigilantes.

Sharma quoted scientists from India and abroad to illustrate how the cow was good for mankind. Quoting German scholar Rudolf Steiner, he said the cow through its horns absorbed “cosmic” energy. Further, he quoted a Madras-based scientist to say that cow dung killed cholera germs.

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