Bengaluru: The Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Wednesday passed a difficult Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Bill 2020 amid ruckus by the Opposition, mostly the Congress.
Legal authorities say that the Karnataka bill by far has the most stringent clauses against cow slaughter in the nation and would outcome in a ban on consumption of beef inside the state.
The bill, which was passed with no any discussion of the floor of the Assembly, stipulates stringent punishment to these who indulge in “smuggling, illegal transportation, atrocities on cows and slaughtering them”. By defining beef as any flesh of cattle, the bill will actually bring in a blanket ban on consumption of beef in the state.
When the bill becomes the law, sale and buy of cattle for the objective of slaughter inside Karnataka and outdoors also will be prohibited. Transport with the intent of cattle becoming applied in the field of agriculture or animal husbandry will be permitted. It also bans the slaughter of calves of a cow and bull, bullock, buffalo male or female and calf of a she-buffalo as effectively.
In what some describe as a draconian provision, the law provides powers of search and seizure to the police on the basis of “reason to believe”. Cattle hence seized will be handed more than state-run organisations to care for the cattle. Penalty for slaughter will variety from Rs 50,000 to Rs 10 lakh per cattle and 3 to seven years imprisonment.
The Congress plans to pursue a legal route to oppose the law.
As the Animal Husbandry Minister Prabhu Chavan tabled the bill, Congress MLAs led by leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah trooped into the effectively of the House. Waving the bill, they alleged that it was not discussed for tabling in the Business Advisory Committee meeting.
However, Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri stated he had clearly stated in the meeting that critical bills will be tabled on Wednesday and Thursday.
The bill will now go to the Legislative Council for approval immediately after which it would be sent to the Governor for his signature.