Karnataka approves anti-cow slaughter ordinance, offender faces seven years in jail and Rs 5 lakh fine

- On Monday, the Cabinet upheld the proposal

Bangalore 29th December 2020 Tuesday

The Karnataka state government had approved the anti-cow slaughter ordinance. The convict in the cow slaughter case can now face a maximum of seven years in jail and / or a fine of Rs five lakh.

The proposal was ratified at the Cabinet meeting on Monday. If the ordinance is signed by the governor then it will come into force and cow slaughter will be a punishable offense in Karnataka. The proposal was tabled by the state government on December 9 but was stalled in the Legislative Council and the state government decided to issue the ordinance.

A large section in Karnataka is carnivorous and is opposing the ban on Gauvansh killings. The original proposal is stuck in the Legislative Council for the same reason. Yeddyurappa's state government is not in a position to do anything about it, so it tried to stop cow slaughter by ordinance.

Earlier this month, Yeddyurappa's government introduced the Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Kettle Bill 2020 in the Assembly. The bill was unlikely to become law until it was ratified by the Legislative Council. The bill called for a ban on the slaughter of cows, oxen, calves and buffaloes. The ordinance will now lead to a complete ban on beef in Karnataka. However, it would not be surprising if non-vegetarians challenged the ordinance in court. The ordinance provides for strict legal action against illegal animal trafficking, atrocities on cows and those who kill animals. There is also provision for setting up a special court for such cases.

After the cabinet meeting, Parliamentary Affairs Minister JC Madhuswamy said the abattoir would continue as before and there was no ban on eating buffalo meat but a complete ban on cow slaughter would be implemented soon.