Ferrying cattle not crime, court swamped with so many false cow slaughter cases: Allahabad HC
Lucknow (PTI): Transporting cattle within the state does not constitute a crime, the Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court has said.
The court noted that it is facing a flood of cases in which people are being framed under the Cow Slaughter Act.
Taking a serious view of the matter, the court directed the principal secretary, home, and the director general of police to file personal affidavits regarding the steps being taken to prevent misuse of the Cow Slaughter Act.
The court cautioned the two officers that if their affidavits were not filed by November 7, they would have to appear in person and respond.
It also asked these two top officers as to why heavy fines should not be imposed on the government in such cases.
A bench of Justice Abdul Moin and Justice AK Chaudhary passed the order on October 9, on the petition of Rahul Yadav, a resident of Pratapgarh.
The court gave the ruling on the petition that pleaded that the police were harassing him solely because a vehicle carrying cattle (progeny of a cow) was registered in his name.
The petition said the vehicle carrying nine cattle heads was being driven by his driver.
The petitioner argued that he had no intention of slaughtering the cattle, and therefore, implicating him under the Cow Slaughter Act was wrong.
Hearing the submission, the court ordered the police not to take any coercive action against the petitioner.
"The matter cannot be treated to be so simple inasmuch as this Court is deluged with such matters on the basis of First Information Reports being filed left and right by the authorities and complainants under the provisions of the Cow Slaughter Act," the bench observed.
The bench cited previous decisions to state that merely transporting cattle within the state is not a crime, nor is preparing to slaughter cattle.
In the present case, the court found that all nine cattle heads were unharmed and not slaughtered and were being transported from Amethi to Pratapgarh, and therefore, the petitioner's implication under the Cow Slaughter Act was unjustified.
The court, all the same, did not stay the investigation and directed the petitioner to cooperate with the police.
The court also sought replies from the two officers on the steps taken by the government to curb mob violence and vigilantism being practised by some people and outfits in cow matters.
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Women's quota bill would have ensured defeat of democracy, Constitution: Aaditya Thackeray
Mumbai (PTI): Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Saturday said that the passage of the women's quota bill would have ensured a "total defeat of democracy", alleging that the legislation, linked with a delimitation exercise, was a political tool designed to reduce the voice of states.
Thackeray, in a post on X, claimed that the Bill would have amended the Constitution for the political means of the ruling regime to increase seats, reduce the voice of many states and enable the gerrymandering of constituencies to ensure unfair victories.
"The very amendment that would have ensured the total defeat of democracy and the Constitution in India stands rejected by the unity of the Opposition MPs," he wrote.
The legislation should have been called "Delimitation to ensure unfair victory Bill", the former minister said, adding that there was a genuine need to enable 33 per cent reservation for women in the current number of seats.
"Now, it is up to the government to ensure that it is implemented in the 543 seats of the Lok Sabha for the 2029 elections and all elections across India, if that is the real intent of the government," he wrote.
A Constitution Amendment Bill to implement reservation for women in legislatures in 2029 and increase the number of Lok Sabha seats was defeated on Friday in the Lower House.
While 298 members voted in support of the Bill, 230 MPs voted against it. Out of 528 members who voted, the Bill required 352 votes for a two-thirds majority.
According to the Constitution Amendment Bill, Lok Sabha seats were to be increased to a maximum of 850 from the current 543 to "operationalise" the women's reservation law before the 2029 parliamentary polls, following a delimitation exercise based on the 2011 Census.
