Gujarat: Life in prison for cow slaughter

IN STATE ASSEMBLY Stringent punishment also for those involved in transportation and sale of beef

At a time when the crackdown on illegal abattoirs in Uttar Pradesh is creating ripples across the country, here’s another food for controversy. Punishment to those found guilty of cow slaughter in poll-bound Gujarat has been enhanced to life term under a more stringent law passed by the state Assembly on Friday.

With the passing of the amendment Bill, Gujarat becomes the first state in the country to make cow slaughter punishable with life term. Cow slaughter has also been made a non-bailable offence.

The Gujarat Animal Preservation (Amendment) Bill approved by the Legislative Assembly also has a provision for ten-year imprisonment for transportation, storage or sale of beef.

The legislation, which envisages permanent forfeiture of vehicles involved in transportation of progeny of cows and beef, bans transportation of animals from one place to another during the night.

The Bill, which seeks to amend the Gujarat Animal Preservation Act, 1954, by introducing stringent punishments, was passed in the absence of the Congress MLAs who were suspended for a day for creating a ruckus in the House.

“The Gujarat Assembly passed a cow protection Bill, among the most stringent in the country, making cow slaughter a life time punishable offense,” Chief Minister Vijay Rupani tweeted.

Introducing the Bill, the Minister of State for Home Pradeepsinh Jadeja said, “Cows do not have only a religious significance, but also have an economic significance. It is utmost necessary to increase the punishment to deter those involved in slaughtering of cows.”

As per the Bill, those involved in the slaughter of cows, calves, bulls and bullocks, would face imprisonment up to life, but not less than ten years. In the present Act, which was amended in 2011, the maximum jail term for such acts was seven years, but not less than three years.

The Bill also proposes imprisonment up to 10 years but not less than seven years for those found to be involved in transportation, sale and storage of beef. Earlier, the maximum punishment for the same offence was three years.

In 2011, when Narendra Modi was the chief minister, the state government had imposed a complete ban on slaughter of cows, transportation and selling of cow meat by amending the Act. Since then, the crimes related to cow slaughter in Gujarat are covered under the Gujarat Animal Preservation (Amendment) Act of 2011.

To Indians, the cow symbolizes all other creatures. The cow is a symbol of the Earth, the nourisher, the ever-giving, undemanding provider — Vijay Rupani, Gujarat CM