In a landmark ruling that connects ancient Vedic wisdom with modern legal consequences, a court in Gujarat’s Gandhinagar has sentenced three individuals to life imprisonment and imposed a heavy fine of Rs 3 lakh each in a cow slaughter case.
The Kalol Sessions Court opened its historic judgment on Monday by quoting shlokas from Manusmriti, an ancient Sanskrit text, that declare cows to be the mothers of the universe and pillars of universal well-being. Acting on a specific tip-off, police officials discovered multiple suspects actively engaged in illegal animal slaughter and recovered sharp cutting weapons, weighing scales, and several transport vehicles. Live cattle found at the scene were rescued and transferred safely to a local cow shelter.
The ruling addresses an incident that took place in Jamla village within the Gandhinagar district, where local police officials caught the culprits while processing a massive cache of 277 kilogram of beef. The legal proceedings commenced following a raid conducted by a Kalol police team in August 2024 at a residential property in the Dhankniwas area of Jamla village.
Presiding over the case, Sessions Judge BR Rajput opened the judgment by invoking profound Vedic verses and scriptural wisdom to highlight the deep cultural reverence for cattle in society. The court cited traditional Sanskrit shlokas establishing that cows are regarded as the mothers of the universe and sources of universal well-being. The court noted that protecting cattle is deeply intertwined with duty, compassion, and the enforcement of absolute truth. During the trial, the prosecution presented comprehensive physical evidence and eyewitness testimonies that strongly supported the charges. Assistant Public Prosecutor Jignesh H Joshi argued that the accused had committed a heinous crime by ignoring established laws and brutally slaughtering cattle, emphasising that strict legal consequences are vital to prevent such offenses from undermining cultural and social harmony.
The court ultimately found the accused – identified as Wasim Shahabuddin Babu Qureshi, Mohammad Rafiq Mohammad Hanif Alibhai Qureshi, and Ashfaq alias Salman Allarakha Abdul Behlim -guilty under the Gujarat Animal Preservation Act and sentenced them to rigorous life imprisonment alongside heavy financial penalties of Rs 3 lakh.
