A sessions court in Gujarat has sentenced three men to life imprisonment in a cow slaughter case, invoking Hindu scriptures to underline the cultural and religious significance of cattle protection. The court warned that failure to punish those found guilty could, over time, threaten the survival of cows.
The ruling was delivered on October 26 by Justice Brijeshkumari Rameshwarsinh Rajput of the Third Additional Sessions Court in Kalol, Gandhinagar district.
In its judgment, the court referred to passages from the Manusmriti and the Rigveda, alongside Sanskrit verses portraying cows as mothers of the world and describing their protection as a religious obligation.
The judge observed that those who had allegedly dismembered cows should face punishment prescribed by law. Without such enforcement, the court remarked, cows could eventually disappear from the earth.
Police raid led to the case
The proceedings stemmed from a police raid conducted on August 22, 2024, at a house in Jamla village. According to the prosecution, the accused had allegedly joined together to slaughter cows illegally and were preparing to sell the meat.
Police reportedly recovered around 277 kilograms of beef, estimated to be worth ₹55,400. Investigators also seized knives, an axe, a weighing scale, ropes and vehicles connected with the case.
The total value of the seized property was estimated at ₹3,61,540.
The court noted that the accused had allegedly been caught while preparing the meat for sale after cutting up the animals. Its observations described the treatment of the cattle as particularly cruel.
Scriptures cited in the judgment
Religious references formed a notable part of the court’s reasoning. One Sanskrit verse cited in the ruling described cows as mothers of the world, associated their protection with dharma, and linked the punishment of proven wrongdoing with the duty to uphold justice.
Another verse portrayed the cow as the mother of all deities and the source of sacrificial rites, describing the animal in terms of sacredness and reverence.
The court used these references while explaining the importance it attached to protecting cattle and imposing punishment in accordance with the law.
Three sentenced to life; two acquitted
The court sentenced Wasim, Mohammed Rafiq and Ashfaq alias Salman to life imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹2 lakh on each under the Gujarat Animal Preservation Act.
They were also awarded 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and fined ₹1 lakh each under other provisions of the Act. The sentences will run concurrently.
Two other accused, Gulam Moin Mustaq Ahmed Ismail Qureshi and Vitthal alias Bhupat Senma, were acquitted after receiving the benefit of doubt. The court also recorded that Lalabhai Manilal Senma, the first accused, had died.
No additional separate sentences were imposed for certain other offences, as the court considered the punishment for the principal offences sufficient.
Additional Public Prosecutor JH Joshi represented the State, while advocate RA Sheikh appeared for the accused.
The judgment places the court’s emphasis on cattle protection, religious references and statutory punishment at the centre of a case that began with a village police raid and ended with life sentences for three men.