A sessions court in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, has sentenced three Muslim men to life imprisonment under provisions of the Gujarat Animal Preservation Amendment Act and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. The judgement discusses the significance of cows according to ancient Hindu texts.
In a notable verdict delivered on Monday, Additional Sessions Judge BR Rajput sentenced Wasim Kureshi, Mohammad Rafiq Kureshi, and Asfak Bahelim to life imprisonment for cow slaughter. The court's judgement spans four pages, during which it emphasizes the 'importance of cows' and cites Hindu scriptures that revere cow as 'the mother of the universe'.
According to the Deccan Herald, the court references the Vedas, Manusmriti, a religious text, stating that these texts recognize the cow 'not merely as an animal but as an equal' and as the 'axis' of dharma or Hinduism. The court further elaborated that 33 crore deities are believed to reside in cows.
The three accused were found guilty of slaughtering a non-milking cow for business purposes, and the police apprehended them while they were preparing to sell the beef, seizing approximately 277 kg of beef in the process.
Each defendant was sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for life and fined Rs 3 lakh.
Source:
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