By Special Correspondent siyasat.net
Bengaluru– BJP government in Karnataka is all set to enact to prevent Cow salughter and Prohibition of Cattle Trafficking Bill on line of Gujarat.
It has started the groundwork for enacting a potent Gujarat model law that is aimed at prohibiting cow trafficking and illegal slaughter. In all probability, the bill will be moved in the next session of the legislature.
When the BJP was in power in the state, the Prevention of Cow Slaughter and Prohibition of Cattle Trafficking bill had been passed but the governor, instead of giving his assent, had forwarded the same to the President for approval. Even the union home ministry has objected to certain provisions in the bill. Thereafter, the previous Congress government decided to continue with the 1964 act.
The government recently has set up the Animal Welfare Board to prohibit cruelty to animals. As an extended part of this act, the amendment is being brought to the cow slaughter act to give it enough teeth.
The act of clandestinely transporting cows to slaughterhouses is continuing in the state unhindered. Therefore, there was pressure immediately after the BJP rose to power, to bring an amendment to the act to ban cow slaughter. Even from within the party, there was an effort to persuade the government to follow this issue.
After pressure was mounted on him immediately after the BJP came to power by toppling the Congress – JD(S) coalition, there was pressure on the chief minister to immediately pass the said act but Yediyurappa suggested that the state should not do things in a hurry and face the embarrassment like the previous attempt. He asked the concerned to go to Gujarat, undertake a detailed study and then implement the law in Karnataka.
Once the bill is drawn, meetings will be held with different departments as the implementation of the bill once passed needs support of departments like revenue, agriculture, horticulture, and home.
Animal Husbandry minister, Prabhu Chauhan, said that the government aims to strengthen the cow slaughter ban law. He said once the lockdown is completely lifted, he will visit Gujarat to study the law there. He said that discussions thereafter will be held with the chief minister and that he wants to table the bill in the next session.
The Gujarat government has amended rules for the Gujarat Animal Preservation (Amendment) Act in 2017, which envisages punishment of up to life term and Rs 5 lakh fine for slaughtering cow or its progeny.
The rules also state that those found guilty of illegal transportation of a cow, its progeny or beef face a jail term of seven to 10 years and fine of Rs 1 lakh to Rs 5 lakh.
The state Assembly had passed a bill to amend the Act on 31 March, 2017 and Governor OP Kohli had given his assent to the same on 13 April, 2017
Prior to the amendments, punishment for those found guilty of slaughtering cow and its progeny faced a jail term of three to seven years and a fine of Rs 50,000.
However, now the rules provide stricter punishment up to life term and no less than 10 years, and Rs 5 lakh fine to those involved in slaughtering a cow or its progeny.
Those found guilty of “illegal transportation of cow (as well as bull and bullock) or its progeny, and sale, storage or transportation of beef will be sentenced to jail term of seven to 10 years and fine of Rs 1 lakh to Rs 5 lakh”, according to the new rules.
(With input from Abdul Hafiz Lakhani,Editor www.siyasat.net from Gujarat)
