Ahmedabad: Gujarat government notified rules on Saturday for the Gujarat Animal Preservation (Amendment) Act, 2017, with the provision of life-term imprisonment for slaughtering a cow. Not only this, even an indirect connection with the cow slaughter would have one in prison.
Gujarat becomes the first state in the country to have such a strict law against cow slaughter, with this in effect since 31, March 2017.
According to a report by DH, minister of state for Home, Pradeepsinh Jadeja said that the rules have been notified after suggestions from a panel on the issue.
The new law has provisions for a financial penalty between Rs 1 lakh to Rs 5 lakh for it, anyone found illegally keeping or transporting a cow too can be imprisoned up to 10 years in jail with a fine of Rs 1 lakh to Rs 10 lakh. The offence is also non-bailable now.
The new Act includes seizure of the vehicles used for transportation of animals for slaughter.
The state government has cut down on transportation of cows in the state. For further strict rules, the legal and licensed movement of the cattle would not be allowed between 7.00 pm in the evening to 5.00 am in the morning.
“Now onwards additional 10 mobile vans will be put on the road for immunology electro forensic or precipitation tube method investigation to identify cow beef on the spot,” Jadeja said. As of now, Gujarat has five forensic science laboratory facilities across the state.