Karnataka cabinet okays anti-cow slaughter ordinance
Bengaluru: The Karnataka cabinet on Monday decided to promulgate an ordinance to give effect to the contentious anti-cow slaughter bill that is yet to be approved by the legislative council.
Once it comes into effect, there will be a blanket prohibition of the slaughter of cows in the state.
However, slaughterhouses will continue to function and beef consumption will not be prohibited with respect to buffalo meat.
"The anti-cow slaughter law is not new. We have had it for decades.
Previously, there was a ban on the slaughter of cows until the age of 13. We have extended it with the intention that older cows should not be left out.
Since the prohibition does not extend to buffaloes, there is no ban on beef consumption," Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister J C Madhuswamy said.
Speaking to reporters after the cabinet meeting here, he said the ordinance is likely to be sent to the Governor within a day for his assent.
The government is also considering building 'gaushalas' (cow shelters) to ensure that aged cows that are not used for milching do not become a burden on the farmer, he said.
The Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Bill-2020 bill proposes a maximum of seven years' imprisonment and fine of Rs five lakh for the offenders.
It seeks a total ban on slaughter of cows in the state and provides for stringent punishment to those who indulge in smuggling, illegal transportation, atrocities on cows and slaughtering them.
The government had to opt for the ordinance route as the Bill passed by the legislative assembly earlier this month in the winter session amid din and stiff opposition from the Congress has not yet been approved by the legislative council.
The council was adjourned sine die even before the bill was tabled there for passage.
For a bill to become law, its passage in the legislative council, followed by assent by the Governor, is necessary.
Noting that objections the Centre had on the then BJP government's anti cow slaughter bill of 2010 has been addressed, Animal Husbandry Minister Prabhu Chauhan said the earlier one also prohibited the slaughtering of buffaloes.
In the present bill, the prohibition is for the slaughtering of buffaloes until the age of 13, he said.
In a statement released by his office, he said cow is the root of India's culture, faith, and farmers' livelihood.
Expressing concern over the decline in the number of cows year after year, he called on everyone to rise above politics to work towards the growth of the state's cattle assets.
"Opposing the Bill just for the sake of politics and misleading the public is intolerable," he said.
Citing the 2019 cattle census, Chauhan said 2.38 lakh cows are slaughtered every year.
Even a day's delay would lead to the slaughter of 662 cows, he said.
"If it continues at this pace, we arent far away from a time when cows will only be read about in books. Stopping illegal transportation and slaughtering is our priority," he said.
Despite resistance from the opposition, the then BJP government led by B S Yediyurappa in 2010 had got the controversial Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Bill passed, that proposed to replace the Karnataka Prevention of Cow Slaughter and Cattle Preservation Act, 1964.
The bill had widened the definition of 'cattle' and imposed a blanket ban on cattle slaughter, coupled with stringent penalty clauses for violation.
However, the Siddaramaiah headed Congress government that came to power in 2013 withdrew the bill that was before the President for his assent.
After BJP came back to power in the state, several party leaders have been making a pitch to re-enact the anti-cow slaughter law.
Chauhan, along with officials, had even traveled to Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat to study and gather information on the implementation of the laws there, before bringing the 2020 bill to assembly earlier this month.
According to sources, BJP, which hurriedly tabled the bill and ensured its passage in the assembly in the winter session, did not do so in the council, sensing that the numbers were not in its favor with opposition Congress and JD(S) against it, and may refer it to the joint select committee.
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Nightclub fire: Goa court remands Luthra brothers in police custody for five days
Panaji (PTI): A court in North Goa on Wednesday remanded Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra, co-owners of the ‘Birch by Romeo Lane’ nightclub, in police custody for five days.
The brothers, brought to Goa from Delhi after being deported from Thailand in connection with the December 6 blaze that killed 25, were produced in the court after undergoing health check-ups twice at the District Hospital in North Goa.
Judicial Magistrate First Class Mapusa Puja Sardesai remanded the two brothers in police custody for five days.
Advocate Vishnu Joshi, representing Bhavana Joshi who lost four family members in the tragedy, said that the accused were asking for “special consideration” claiming poor health.
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“We said they should not be given any extra relaxation,” he said, adding that the court has taken cognisance of the fact that this is about the death of “25 people in the form of mass genocide”.
“But since they kept pressing for medical check-up, the court ordered reexamination of their health. It is clear in the medical examination that they don’t require any consideration. The accused sought special considerations in the lock-up like a good mattress, which the court refused,” said Joshi.
A team of the Goa Police, along with the Luthra brothers, arrived at the Manohar International Airport, Mopa, in North Goa at 10.45 am.
The duo was initially taken to a Primary Health Centre at Siolim for medical examination. They were then taken to the District Hospital at Mapusa.
After their health assessment, the two were brought to the court.
The court directed that the accused be sent for fresh medical examination. Accordingly, the two were again taken to the District Hospital.
Later, they were produced before Judge Sardesai, who ordered the five-day police custody of the accused.
After the fire tragedy at Arpora village, the Anjuna police had registered a case against the Luthra brothers on various charges, including culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
The brothers were arrested in Delhi on Tuesday after being deported from Thailand. A court there allowed the Goa Police their two-day transit remand.
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The duo had fled to Phuket in Thailand early on December 7, hours after the fire at their nightclub, prompting the authorities to issue an Interpol Blue Corner Notice and cancel their passports.
They were detained by Thai authorities at Phuket on December 11 following a request from the Indian government, which later coordinated with officials in Thailand to deport them under legal treaties between the two nations.
Five managers and staff members have already been arrested by the Goa Police in connection with the fire.
