By IANS,
Bangalore : The Karnataka government will enforce a ban on cow slaughter strictly by amending a 1964 act to prohibit the sale and consumption of beef, Home Minister V.S. Acharya said Wednesday.
“An amending bill will be introduced in the coming budget session to make cow slaughter, sale of cows and consumption of beef a cognizable offence under a new law,” Acharya told reporters after a cabinet meeting here.
The amending bill will replace the Karnataka Prevention of Cow Slaughter and Cattle Prevention Act, 1964. According to section four of the proposed bill, no person shall slaughter or intentionally kill any cattle. The definition of cattle in the bill includes cow, calf, bull, bullock, and buffalo. Section five of the proposed bill prohibits sale, use and possession of beef.
The cabinet also decided to enhance punishment with seven years imprisonment and a penalty of Rs.100,000 for serious offences against cows.
“The minimum punishment will be one year imprisonment and a fine up to Rs.50,000 for smaller crimes against the domestic animal,” Acharya said.
The month-long budget session will commence Feb 25 with an address by state governor Hans Raj Bhardwaj to the joint legislature and the state budget will be presented March 5.
In a related development, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) protested against the cow slaughter ban and criticised the first Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state for hurting the sentiments of Dalits, Muslims and backward classes with an anti-retrograde measure.
“Each individual is entitled to his/her own food habits. The government has no right to force people to not consume a particular food,” BSP vice-president N. Mahesh said.