Cow slaughter no longer easy in UP, with provision for up to 10 years of jail and a fine of Rs 5 lakh
By Our Correspondent
Lucknow, April 27: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is continuously attacking the Congress for promising freedom of food to minorities in its manifesto. He also raised this issue during a press meet at his official residence on Saturday and accused Congress and the I.N.D.I. Alliance of promoting beef.
He emphasized that the Hindu community in this country completely abstains from consuming beef, as they regard the cow as sacred. Congress’ attempt to grant exemptions to Muslims in this regard is unacceptable to all, he asserted.
It is worth mentioning here that UP already has stringent laws against cattle slaughter with a provision for up to 10 years of imprisonment and fines of up to Rs 5 lakh. Additionally, there is a provision for seven years of imprisonment and fines of up to Rs 3 lakh for the mutilation of ‘gauvansh’.
The Uttar Pradesh government formalized it into law by enacting an ordinance on cow slaughter in 2020. Through the Uttar Pradesh Cow Slaughter Prevention (Amendment) Act 2020, the government introduced numerous new provisions, intensifying the regulations surrounding cow slaughter in the state. This includes imposing severe penalties for cow slaughter or the trafficking of cows in Uttar Pradesh.
According to this legislation, the punishment for repeat offenders of cow smuggling can be doubled, extending up to 10 years in prison. Unlike the previous law, which lacked provisions for minimum punishment for cow slaughter or smuggling, the amended law now mandates a minimum sentence of 3 years and a minimum fine of Rs 3 lakh for cow slaughter.
Similarly, there is a provision for a minimum punishment of at least 1 year and a minimum fine of Rs 1 lakh for mutilating gauvansh. The law clearly states that individuals who inflict physical harm on a cow or gauvansh, thereby endangering its life or causing mutilation, will face imprisonment ranging from one to seven years, along with fines ranging from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 3 lakh.
As per the amended law, if a seized cow intended for smuggling is found, the expenses incurred for its upkeep for up to one year will be recovered from the accused. The previous law lacked clarity regarding action against vehicles involved in transporting cows or their meat, their owners, or drivers. However, under the amended law, unless vehicle owners can prove they were unaware of the prohibited meat in their vehicles, they will also be considered guilty.
Additionally, both the driver and the operator will be held accountable, and their vehicles will be seized. All offences under this legislation will be non-bailable.
In 2020, the Yogi government promulgated an ordinance and later enacted a law to implement it in the state. The need for this law was felt because, despite several amendments to the previous law, there was still a laxity that prevented its effective implementation in line with public aspirations. Complaints of illegal slaughter and transportation of cows and gauvansh were being received. Therefore, amendments were made to the law to provide for strict penalties for illegal slaughter and transportation of cattle.
