Ban on sale of cattle for slaughter: Rajasthan HC asks Modi govt to declare cow as national animal

A day after the Madras High Court stayed the enforcement of the Centre’s contentious notification banning sale and purchase of cattle at animal markets for slaughter by four weeks, Rajasthan High Court recommended that the cow should be made the national animal. According to reports, during hearing of a plea, the Rajasthan High Court made several recommendations to the Narendra Modi government.

Rajasthan High court says "make Cow the national animal" pic.twitter.com/htsKbCjQ00

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Hingonia Gaushala deaths: Rajasthan HC says Cow should be declared national animal and that life term should be given for cow slaughter

— ANI (@ANI) May 31, 2017

“Keeping in mind Articles 48 and 51A(g) of the Constitution and to provide legal entity for their proper protection and conservation of cow, it is expected from the government that cow is declared a national animal,” Justice Mahesh Chandra Sharma said in a 145-page order. The judge gave a ruling relating to the Hingoniya Gaushala of Jaipur.

The court said, reported IANS, India was a predominantly agriculture-based country where animal husbandry played an important role. The judge appointed the Chief Secretary and the Advocate General of Rajasthan in loco parentis (custodians) for the protection and conservation of cows.

These officials will work for the protection and conservation of cows and to declare cow a national animal, the ruling said. That aside, the court also recommended that punishment for killing a cow should be extended to life imprisonment.

Sharma, who retired on Wednesday, defended his order by citing Hindu scriptures and said that the cow’s milk has always been used to cure diseases. “I have made the recommendations to the Centre. It is the voice of my soul that is talking,” he told reporters. He compared cow to a peacock  and said that the latter was chosen as the national bird of India because it has pious qualities. “A peahen doesn’t need to have sex to get pregnant, it just swallows the tears of the peacock,” he added.

"Peacock has pious qualities just like cow -- Peahen doesn't need to have sex to get pregnant, it just swallows 'tears' of the peacock" pic.twitter.com/unwucmOFLJ

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In March, the Gujarat assembly made its anti-cow slaughter law the toughest in the country with the offence now becoming non-bailable and punishable with a life-time in jail.

The Gujarat Animal Preservation (Amendment) Act, 2017, was passed with the ruling BJP’s brute majority. Moving an amendment, minister of state for home Pradeepsinh Jadeja said: “During this auspicious occasion of Chaitri Navratri, the government, on suggestions of many sadhus and sants, has made amendments to the Gujarat Animal Protection (Amendment) Act, 2011. This is the harshest law in the country.”

The new law provided for financial penalty from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 5 lakh for such a crime. “If anyone is found to illegally keep or transport a cow, the new Act has provision for 10 years’ imprisonment and minimum of 7 years in jail and a fine of Rs 1 lakh to Rs 10 lakh,” Jadeja had said.

There is also provision for permanent seizure of vehicles used for transportation of animals for slaughter as against the earlier version which allowed only impounding of such vehicles for six months.

The minister said that the state government would “strictly” implement the new law. “Earlier it was a bailable offence and legal provisions were relatively mild. This did not act as an efficient deterrent for those committing this heinous crime,” he added.

Explaining the rationale for a tougher law, Jadeja said several religious saints and leading citizens had in the past petitioned the Chief Minister for making a stricter law for cow protection. “Cow is symbol of Indian culture. Cow protection is not only about religious sentiments but also is of great economic benefit to our society,” he said.

The state government has also put curbs on transportation of cows in the state during night hours.

With inputs from IANS