15 buffaloes set free: Why Chhattisgarh High Court ruled that moving cattle isn’t always an illegal trip to slaughterhouse

The court, therefore, directed the district court to handover the buffaloes to their respective owners from the custody of the police.

The animals were seized under Section 6 of the Chhattisgarh Agriculture Cattle Prevention Act, 2004, which provides a prohibition on the transport of agricultural cattle for slaughter.

Justice Jaiswal set aside district court orders that had denied interim custody to owners of 15 seized buffaloes. (Image enhanced using AI)

The law, the court said, was enacted in the interest of the general public and to maintain communal harmony and peace, for the prohibition of the slaughter of agricultural cattle.

“It is also necessary to note that no useful purpose would be served if the said buffaloes are allowed to get custody in the cowshed; rather, the said buffaloes can be released to the petitioners, who claim to be the owners of the cattle, so that they can use them for agriculture,” the court added.

Findings

• Mere transport of cattle from one place to another for a purpose other than slaughter is not barred under the Act, and in that case, the provision under Section 6(3) of the Act of 2004 would not be applicable.
• Section 6 of the Act of 2004 provides a prohibition on the transport of agricultural cattle for slaughter.
• A careful perusal of the district court’s order and other documents annexed with the petition would show that the prosecution or the investigating agency at no place has alleged that the petitioners used to transport the cattle for slaughter in contravention of the provisions of the Act, specifically Section 6(1) of the Act of 2004.
• The case of the prosecution, in sum and substance, is that the petitioners were carrying the cattle (buffaloes) from Maveshi Bazar Gidhouri, i.e., from one place to another, and it was not in contravention of Section 6(1) of the Act of 2004.
• In the entire prosecution case, no specific place has been mentioned where the cattle were being transported for slaughter.
• In the animal health certificate, it has been certified that all 15 cattle (3 female buffaloes and 12 male buffaloes) are in a healthy condition.
• Therefore, it cannot be said that the agricultural cattle were in bad/injured condition to attract the definition of “slaughter” to apply the bar contained in Section 6(3) of the Act of 2004.
• There is no objection to their ownership, and they have the right to raise any other grounds and also reserve the right to submit all relevant documents.

Background

• The matter originated from a police action on September 12, 2025, where authorities seized 15 buffalo based on an informer’s tip that the animals were being driven on foot toward a slaughterhouse.
• The three petitioners were subsequently charged under Sections 4, 6, and 10 of the Chhattisgarh Agriculture Cattle Prevention Act, 2004.
• The petitioner’s initial application for interim custody was dismissed by the district courts.
  Following this, the petitioners filed the plea against this order in high court.