MP cabinet approves law to make cow vigilantism punishable
Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh cabinet Wednesday approved changes to a law that makes cow vigilantism a punishable offence.
Manoj Shrivastava, principal secretary (animal husbandry), said the amendment to the Agricultural Cattle Preservation Act proposes a jail term ranging from one to five years and a fine of ~50,000 for anyone taking part in cow vigilantism. Currently, offences related to cow vigilantism are dealt under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). “The amendment has been made keeping in mind the Supreme Court order...telling states to act tough on cow vigilantism,” Shrivastava said.
In July 2018, a Supreme Court bench headed by the then chief justice Dipak Misra had said, “horrendous acts of mobocracy” cannot be allowed to overrun the law of the land. It had directed Parliament to enact stern laws so as to provide “preventive, remedial and punitive measures” to deal with cow vigilantism and mob lynching.
Shrivastava said that to ensure safety for cow transporters, the law has made it mandatory for them to take a sub-divisional magistrate’s permission.
State animal husbandry minister Lakhan Singh Yadav said, most cattle transporters do not carry documents to show “whether the cow being transported is going for slaughter or for sale, and often end up being harassed or bashed up by gau rakshaks”. “The magistrate’s permission will be a legal paper that should satisfy the gau rakshaks,” Yadav added.
courtesy: hindustantimes.com
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No need for guv: DMK leader Kanimozhi
Chennai (PTI): Senior DMK leader Kanimozhi Karunanidhi on Friday reiterated her party’s opposition to the office of the governor amid uncertainty over government formation in Tamil Nadu after a fractured election mandate.
Speaking to PTI Videos, Kanimozhi emphasised that the DMK’s demand for the abolition of the governor’s post remained unchanged, especially as questions arise over constitutional propriety during the current political transition.
"Our position that we do not need a governor at all is something the DMK has never changed at any point in time," she said.
When asked about the governor’s actions following the election results—particularly the delay in inviting the leading party to form the government—Kanimozhi pointed to what she described as the "inherent friction" between the office of the governor and the political interests of the state.
She said the current situation "raises a lot of questions" and requires introspection regarding constitutional procedures.
Kanimozhi described the election results as lacking a "clear mandate", which she identified as the primary reason for the prevailing political uncertainty in the state.
"What the people decide is supreme," she said, adding that while the mandate was not decisive, it must be respected.
The Thoothukudi MP attributed the ongoing delays and "many confusions" to the absence of a decisive majority for any single party.
She firmly dismissed rumours about the DMK potentially supporting the AIADMK from outside to help stabilise the government.
She described such reports as mere "speculation" and "rumours".
"We can’t be responding to every rumour," she said, declining to comment on the AIADMK’s claims regarding its numbers to form the government.
The political situation in Tamil Nadu remains fluid as stakeholders await the governor’s next constitutional step in an Assembly where no party has secured a clear majority.
The DMK and AIADMK—both of which suffered significant losses to the TVK—are reportedly exploring tactical manoeuvres to navigate the hung Assembly.
The TVK, with 108 seats and the support of Congress’s five MLAs, is still short of the majority mark. The DMK and AIADMK secured 59 and 47 seats, respectively.
