The Amreli Sessions Court has sentenced a Muslim man to ten years in prison and fined him Rs 2 lakh for deliberately slaughtering a cow and allowing the blood to flow into a municipal drain. The accused has been identified as Asif Alarakh Tarkavadia. The case dates back to 2021, with verdict delivered on August 13, 2024.
The case was filed on November 6, 2021, at the Amreli City Police Station against Asif under several sections of the Gujarat Animal Protection Act, the IPC, and the Gujarat Police Act. However, a few days later, the court granted him conditional bail. Earlier, the case was ongoing in the Civil Court, from where it was later transferred to the Sessions Court in March 2023.
According to additional information in the case, on the day the case was registered, the police raided Asif’s home based on a tip-off. From there, 50 kg of beef and animal cutting instruments were recovered. Following that, he was arrested and a case was filed at the Amreli City Police Station. According to the FIR, despite knowing that cows are regarded as sacred symbols of Hinduism, Asif slaughtered the cow and spilled blood and other vile waste in the municipality’s open drains to achieve financial gain by deliberately offending Hindus.
The case was initially brought in civil court, where the police presented a charge sheet on September 17, 2022. However, in March 2023, the case was referred to the Sessions Court where the hearing was held. After hearing all of the arguments, the court filed charges against the accused on August 2, and reserved judgment on August 8. Finally, on August 13, the verdict was announced, and the accused was found guilty.
The court held that the act was done to hurt the sentiments of Hindus
After hearing all of the arguments and examining the evidence and facts on record, the Court concluded that the accused had slaughtered the cattle. So he is found guilty under Section 429 of the IPC. Furthermore, the court stated that the accused slaughtered the cow despite knowing it was considered sacred in Hinduism and that under IPC 295, insulting any religion with malice is criminal. In addition, the court convicted him under Section 119 of the Gujarat Police Act, which allows for the punishment of severely binding and beating an animal.
In the final ruling, the court found Asif guilty of violating Sections 295 and 429 of the IPC, as well as Sections 5(1-C) and 6(b) of the Gujarat Animal Protection Act. The court sentenced him to two years in prison and a fine of Rs 2000 under IPC section 295, three years in prison and a fine of Rs 3000 under IPC 429, ten years in prison, and a fine of Rs 2,00,000 under sections of the Gujarat Animal Protection Act, and two months in prison under GPA section 119. He will have to deal with all of the implications. A copy of the court order is accessible with OpIndia.
