The court of Ms. Kamini Lao, Additional Sessions Judge,
Delhi , in its 538 page judgment on 9th October 2014, convicted and awarded life
imprisonment to seven persons who were indulging in transport and slaughter of
cows illegally. They were members of a Mewat gang and they were held guilty of
firing at police officials who were trying to rescue cows that were being
illegally taken by them for slaughtering. The case related to an encounter
between a gang of cattle lifters from Mewat, on the outskirts of Delhi, and the
Delhi police in the Outer Delhi district on the intervening night of January
18-19, 2013, when the accused were trying to flee by taking away three cows,
one calf and a buffalo from a dairy in Rohini's sector 16-17 for the purpose of
slaughtering. During the encounter, one of the gang members died while a cop
sustained injury.
The court also called for the immediate need to set right
the mechanism for rescuing animals rampantly released on 'superdari'
(undertaking) to those who were accused of the violation of special laws
relating to protection of animals. The court said that people are taking
advantage of lacuna in existing laws dealing with the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals Act, the Delhi Agriculture Cattle Preservation Act and also the general
law (Indian Penal Code/ Code of Criminal Procedure) as these laws are totally
silent on how these rescued animals are required to be dealt with. The Court
said "Under no circumstances can these animals/cattle be handed over to
the same persons from whose clutches they have been rescued. Cattle wealth of
the country has to be protected at any cost not only because it is connected to
important issues of national health but also because its an issue which is
closely knitted to religious beliefs and sentiments of a class of society which
have to be respected".
The court observed that, though cattle slaughtering was
banned in Delhi, there were many loopholes in the law which prohibits the slaughter.
The court called upon the Government to create a policy and a foolproof
mechanism for protecting cattle in the country. The demands for banning of
cattle slaughter across the country found backing of the court which said that
cattle needs to be protected not only because of health reasons but also
because it is closely knitted to religious beliefs of a section of society.
Pertinently, cattle slaughter is banned in most states in the country but is
legal in some states.
Click below for reading the Full Judgment.
