Maharashtra beef ban: More than 300 persons prosecuted in nine months

In March 2015, Maharashtra revived an old legislation to effectively ban beef, sparking a series of similar bans in the country. Going by statistics recently made public, it appears that the government is implementing the law with much zeal too, with more than 300 persons prosecuted under the law since it came into being, The Times of India has reported. Most of the offences involve sale or transportation of bulls or bullocks for slaughter, according to The Times of India report. The most number of cases (54) are said to have been registered in Amaravati in the eastern part of the state, while there have been merely two cases registered in Mumbai. [caption id=“attachment_2536178” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. Image courtesy: Reuters[/caption] The statement was made in the course of a petition challenging the ban in the Bombay High Court. The plea has said that the court should protect the right of the ‘cultural minority’ who consume beef, according to a report in DNA. However, appearing for the state, the Maharashtra Advocate General S Aney has argued that eating a particular kind of food does not lead to the creation of a ‘cultural minority’, and that the state government does not intend to ‘impose a vegetarian cuisine,’ according to the report. The Maharashtra government has supported the beef ban, saying that cattle, who serve human beings, are entitled to compassion in their old age, according to a report in The Indian Express. The government is also said to have argued that if a food habit is considered to be a part of culture, then there ‘would be thousands of minority groups in the country on this basis alone." In March 2015, the Maharashtra government revived a two-decade-old law to ban cow slaughter in the state. The law bans slaughter of bulls and bullocks, which was previously allowed on the basis of a fit-for-slaughter certificate.