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Gujarat makes the harshest laws on beef ban, life imprisonment for cow slaughter and 5-lakh fine for beef possession
With this Act, cow slaughter became a non-bailable offence in the state. Hitherto, if a person was found in possession of beef, he could face a jail-term ranging from seven to 10 years.
Ahmedabad: The Gujarat Assembly passed The Gujarat Preservation (Amendment) Bill that seeks to award life imprisonment to anyone found guilty of cow slaughter in the state and Rs 5 lakh fine for beef possession. The development took place on the last day of the Budget session of the House on Friday.
Gujarat thus becomes the first state in the country to make cow slaughter punishable with a life term, and political observers feel this is part of BJP's strategy to please hardliners right ahead of the Assembly elections in the state.
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The state had imposed a blanket ban on cow slaughter and ferrying of beef in the state in 2011, under the then chief minister Narendra Modi. The earlier version of the law included a penalty of Rs 50,000 and imprisonment of up to seven years.
In 2013-14 Gujarat had exported 845 tonnes of buffalo meat with an estimated value of Rs 17.41 crore, as per data from the Agriculture and Processed Food Export Development Authority (Apeda). In the following years there were no buffalo meat exports from Gujarat.