‘Declare cow as national animal’

Rajasthan HC judge tells govt to ensure cow slaughterers are punished with life term

Jaipur/Thiruvananthapu ram/Chennai, May 31: A Rajasthan high court judge on Wednesday asked the state’s BJP government to take necessary steps to get cow declared the national animal and ensure its slaughterers were punished with imprisonment for life.

In a direction that could further fuel the deeply divisive debate over beef consumption and vigilantism in the name of cow protection, Justice Mahesh Chand Sharma said the state’s chief secretary and advocate general will be the legal custodians of cow.

“Nepal is a Hindu nation (sic) and has declared cow as national animal. India is a predominantly agricultural country based on animal rearing. As per Article 48 and 51A (g) (of the Constitution) it is expected from the state government that they would take action to get a legal entity for cow in this country,” the judge said in the direction passed on his last day in office.

He suggested that it was expected of the state government that it would amend the Rajasthan Bovine Animals Act, 1995, to enhance punishment for cow slaughter from three years in jail to life imprisonment.

Later, Justice Sharma told a TV news channel: “It (action against those who kill cows) is the voice of my soul, your soul, everybody’s soul. Law has stemmed from ‘dharma’ (religion) and not viceversa,” he said.

When the reporter asked him for the rationale behind declaring cow slaughter a heinous crime, he said,” There cannot be a more heinous crime than this. Cow is like mother. She saves people from different diseases.” The directions were issued while the court was hearing a matter related to a government-run cow shelter where hundreds of animals had perished in Jaipur last year due to alleged neglect.

Nepal, a Hindu nation, has declared the cow as its national animal...the govt should get a legal entity for the cow Peacock, pious like cow, doesn’t need sex to get pregnant, it just swallows peacock's ‘tears’ — Justice Mahesh Chand Sharma