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Recently, the state government of Karnataka has passed anti-cow slaughter law
Key provisions of the bill
- The bill envisages a ban on all forms of cattle slaughter and stringent punishment for offenders
- This bill is a revised version of a Bill that was passed in 2010
- It repeals the Karnataka Prevention of Cow Slaughter and Cattle Preservation Act, 1964
- Definition of cattle: Under the present bill cattle has been designated as “cow, calf of a cow and bull, bullock and he or she buffalo” and their slaughter is banned.
- Exemption of Buffaloes: The only exemptions under the 2020 Bill are buffaloes above the age of 13 years and certified by a competent authority, cattle used in medical research, cattle certified for slaughter by a veterinarian to prevent spread of a disease, and very sick cattle.
- Cognizable offence: The new law passed in the state assembly also designates the slaughter of cattle as a cognizable offence — where arrests can be carried out without court warrants
- Punishment: The new bill increases the jail term from 3 to 7 years and fines ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs 5 lakh or both.
- It also prescribes new punishments for transport of cattle, sale of meat and purchase or disposal of cattle for slaughter — a prison term of three to five years and a fine of Rs 50,000 to Rs 5 lakh.
Background
Earlier, the 2010 Bill was shelved in 2013 by the Congress government after it did not receive the Governor’s assent. The Congress government had reverted to the less stringent Karnataka Prevention of Cow Slaughter and Preservation of Animals Act, 1964, which allows cow slaughter with certain restrictions.
But the 1964 law banned the killing of “any cow or calf of she-buffalo”, it allowed the slaughter of bullock, buffalo-male or female if it was certified by a competent authority to be above the age of 12 years or incapacitated for breeding or deemed sick.
Source: The Indian Express
