Anti-cow slaughter bill passed in K’taka Assembly; offense to attract 7yrs jail, Rs 50k fine

Team Udayavani, Dec 10, 2020, 12:25 PM IST

Bengaluru: The state government, on Wednesday, December 9 passed the controversial anti-cow slaughter bill in the Karnataka Assembly, despite the opposition from Congress and JDS members.

Donning saffron shawls, ministers of Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa’s government presented a united front while the Animal Husbandry Minister Prabhu Chavan tabled the Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Bill before the assembly.

Meanwhile, Congress members staged a walkout from the assembly in protest of the bill.

What does the Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Bill-2020 entail?

* The bill seeks a total ban on the slaughter of cows in the state and stringent punishment to those who indulge in smuggling, illegal transportation, atrocities on cows, and slaughtering them.

* The new law not only makes all kinds of cow slaughter a cognizable offence, but it also punishes it with three to seven years in prison. Additionally, a fine of Rs 50,000 per cattle head could also be levied on violators. Besides, the transport of cattle within or outside the state for the purpose of slaughter is also banned.

*Those who commit the same offense a second time could face not less than seven years in jail and a fine of 1 lakh rupees per cattle, up to Rs 10 lakh.

* Besides cows and calves, the bill also intends to protect buffaloes and their calves less than 12 years of age.

* There is also a provision to set up special courts for the speedy trial of the accused people under this law.

* It also makes provision for setting up Goshala or cattle-sheds for the protection of livestock.

* Police have been given powers to conduct checking and confiscate any premises or vehicles.

*The law further says all persons exercising powers under this Act shall be deemed as public servants.

* The law also gives protection to those who protect these livestock.

The bill was passed without any discussion as there was din in the House. The Congress later staged a walkout in protest.

Earlier, when Animal Husbandry Minister Prabhu Chavan tabled the bill in the evening, Congress MLAs led by leader of the opposition Siddaramaiah trooped into the well of the House.

They alleged the bill was not discussed for tabling in the Business Advisory Committee meeting.

“We had discussed yesterday that new bills will not be tabled.We had agreed that only the ordinances will be passed. Now he (Prabhu Chavan) has all-of-a-sudden introduced this anti-cow slaughter bill,” Siddaramaiah said.

However, Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri said he had clearly said in the meeting that important bills will be tabled on Wednesday and Thursday.

Not convinced with the reply, the Congress MLAs trooped into the well of the House and raised slogans against the BJP government. The Congress has expressed fears that the bill, if passed, may be misused for polarisation on communal lines and target the minorities.

On the other hand, the BJP has been saying the bill is to protect the cows which are holy to the Hindus.

To make the provisions of the proposed law stringent, Chavan had referred to similar laws in Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat.

A team of officials led by Chavan had recently visited Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat, where the law has been enacted, to study its implementation.