‘Cow is not just an animal…’: Kalol Court cites Hindu scriptures while delivering verdict in cow slaughter case, sentences three men, including Wasim, to life imprisonment

A court in Gujarat sentenced three Muslim men to life imprisonment in a cow slaughter and beef sale case involving 277 kilograms of meat. The Kalol Additional Sessions Court in Gandhinagar delivered the judgment on October 26, after the Kalol police raided a house in Jamla village on 22 Aug 2024, and recovered meat that laboratory testing confirmed to be beef. While pronouncing the verdict, Judge B. R. Rajput cited Hindu religious scriptures, the Vedas, and the Manusmriti to underline the significance of cow protection. According to Bar and Bench, the court convicted Wasim Qureshi, Mohammad Rafiq Qureshi, and Ashfaq Behlime under animal preservation laws, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, the Gujarat Police Act, the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, and the Motor Vehicles Act. Two other accused were acquitted, and proceedings against a sixth ended following his death during the trial. Each convicted man received life imprisonment and a fine of two lakh rupees. The court observed, “If those who cruelly slaughter cows are not punished as prescribed by law, Gau Mata will gradually become extinct from the Earth.”