Cow should be declared as national animal, says Allahabad High Court

The cow should be declared national animal and its protection must be made a fundamental right of Hindus, the Allahabad High Court said on September 1, while rejecting bail on petition of a man booked for cow Slaughtering.

"We know that when a country's culture and its faith gets hurt, the country becomes weak," noted the Court.

Denying bail, the Bench of Justice Shekar Kumar Yadav also noted that the accused had killed the cow, beheaded it and its meat was also kept along with it.

The HC also said that the right to life is above the right to kill and the right to eat beef can never be considered a fundamental right.

"Fundamental Right is not only the prerogative of beef eaters, rather, those who worship the cow and are financially dependent on cows, also have the right to lead a meaningful life,” it further said.

As per the Live Law report, the accused Javed was charged with the offence under Section 379 of IPC (Punishment of Theft) and Sections 3, 5, 8 of the Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act.

The HC also noted that it is not only Hindus who have understood the importance of cows, Muslim rulers also considered it as an important part of India's culture during their reign.

For example, Babur, Humayun and Akbar prohibited the sacrifice of cows in their religious festivals, the court said.

The ruler of Mysore, Hyder Ali, made cow slaughter a punishable offence, the HC added.

The court said cow should be declared a national animal as when a country's culture and faith gets hurt, the country becomes weak.

The court said the government should also bring laws against those who are running cow shelters but their aim is only to earn money in the name of the animal’s protection.