Now, life term for those found guilty of cow slaughter in Gujarat

The Bill – The Gujarat Animal Preservation (Amendment) Bill, 2017 – has brought two major amendments to the Act; increasing the conviction sentence for cow slaughter from maximum seven years to life imprisonment and making a provision that vehicles caught in illegal transportation of cow, beef or beef products will stand forfeited with the state government. The maximum fine for the offence has also been increased from Rs 50,000 to up to Rs 5 lakh and not less than Rs 1 lakh.

Apart from that, the punishment for conviction on illegal transportation of cow beef or beef products has also been increased from three years’ imprisonment to seven years’ imprisonment.

The Object statement of the Bill reads, “In the year 2011, the State Government had made certain amendments in the said Act for better
implementation of the Act. It is, however, experienced while implementing the said Act that still more stringent provisions are required to be made by amending the said Act for curbing the menace of illegal slaughtering of the animals covered under the said Act to provide for more stringent punishment and effectively check the rampant use of vehicles for transporting such animals.”

Offences under the amended Act have also been made non-bailable.

The Bill has been brought in by the Animal Husbandry department of Gujarat.

Hindu religious priests from various sects thronged the Assembly complex on the occasion. One of them, Kaniramji Bapu of Dudhrej in Surendranagar district, one of the most important religious places of maldharis (cattle herders) in Gujarat, said, “We oppose cow slaughter and believe in its preservation. And so, in support of the Act we had come here. Cow should be preserved and its slaughtering must end.”

Another religious priest from Ghela-Somnath of Jasdan in Rajkot district Mahant Vikramgiri said, “Around 300 sadhu-sant have come to Assembly. Since the government had announced that they will bring the Bill, we knew it in advance and are here to support it.”