Allahabad HC urges Centre to prohibit cow slaughter countrywide

A Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court has urged the Centre to pass a law to declare the cow a ‘protected national animal’ and also make a law to completely ban cow slaughter all over the country.

The Allahabad High Court has expressed that the Center will take appropriate steps and ban the killing of cows.

Justice Shamim Ahmad said on 14 February that “‘we are living in a secular country and it is our duty to respect all religions. There is a belief in Hinduism that the cow is a sacred animal”. He rejected a plea in which it was mentioned that criminal actions against a person were quashable under the Uttar Pradesh Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act, 1955.

The petitioner, Mohammad Abdul Khaliq, appealed that he was booked by police without any proof and that the proceedings against him are currently pending in the court of an additional chief judicial magistrate.

In quashing the petition, the bench held that, from the facts on record, a prima facie case was made out against the petitioner.

“The cow has also been identified with other deities, particularly Lord Shiva (whose steed is Nandi, a bull), Lord Indra (closely affiliated with Kamadhenu), Lord Krishna (a cowherd in his childhood), and goddesses in general,” the court said as she handed down the ruling.

The court also noted that, according to legend, cows appeared from the ocean of milk during Samudramanthan, or the great churning of the ocean by gods and demons. The cow was then presented to the seven sages before eventually coming under the care of Vasishta, a sage.

The judge said that a cow’s four legs represent the four Vedas, and that her milk has four colours, “Purushartha” (or human objectives) — “dharma” or righteousness, “artha” or material wealth, “kama” or desire, and “moksha” or salvation.

“Her horns symbolise the gods; her face, the sun and moon, and her shoulders, “Agni” (the god of fire). The cow has also been described in other forms: Nanda, Sunanda, Surabhi, Susheela, and Sumana,” Justice Ahmad said.