00:00I just want to quickly shift focus to a very, very important story,
00:03something that we really need to introspect on.
00:05Three men were sentenced to life imprisonment in a cow slaughter case.
00:10But it is the court's reasoning that has now drawn attention.
00:14A Gujarat court has cited the Vedas and the Manusmriti
00:18while sentencing the three accused,
00:21invoking religious beliefs about the cow to underline the severity of the crime.
00:27Here's the full report.
00:33Three men, a cow slaughter case and a life sentence.
00:38But it is not just the punishment that has put this Gujarat court's verdict in focus.
00:43It is the scriptures the judge cited while delivering it.
00:48The case dates back to August 2024.
00:51Police raided a location in Jamla village, seizing 277 kilograms of beef,
00:58sharp weapons and a vehicle.
01:01The three men, according to reports, had bought old and non-milking cattle at low prices
01:06and slaughtered them for business.
01:09Of the six accused, one died during the proceedings and two were acquitted.
01:14The remaining three, all Muslims, were convicted.
01:17The Kalol court sentenced each to rigorous imprisonment for life and imposed a fine of three lakh rupees.
01:25The three accused were convicted under the Gujarat Animal Preservation Act, among other laws.
01:33But the judgment went beyond the legal provisions.
01:36In its observations, the court cited the Vedas and the Manusmriti invoking the religious significance of cows in Hinduism.
01:45It referred to cows as the mother of the universe and noted the belief that 33 crore deities reside in
01:53them.
01:53Referring to Manusmriti, the court said the text recognizes cows not as merely animals but as equals
02:01and is the axis of dharma or Hinduism.
02:05The court also said the accused knew cows were considered mothers, yet went ahead with the slaughter.
02:11If not punished, mother cows will go extinct.
02:15That was the court's warning while convicting the accused.
02:32That was the case of the people who were acquitted.
02:35So, this is a historical mistake that the Kalol court had given.
02:41Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sangvi welcomed the ruling.
02:45The verdict has now put the spotlight not just on the severity of Gujarat's cow protection law,
02:50but also on the role religious scriptures played in the court's reasoning.
02:55With Brijesh Doshi, Bureau Report, India Today.
