Gujarat court cites Vedas, Manusmriti while sentencing three Muslim men to life for cow slaughter

Citing the Hindu scriptures Vedas and the religious text Manusmriti, a sessions court in Gujarat’s Gandhinagar has sentenced three Muslim men to life imprisonment for cow slaughter, the Deccan Herald reported on Wednesday.

In the initial four pages of its judgement, delivered on Monday, the court discussed the “importance of cows”. Citing ancient Hindu texts, it said that cows are “revered as the mother of the universe” and that 33 crore deities are believed to reside in them.

The judgement also referred to the Manusmriti, describing it as a text that recognises the cow “not merely as an animal but as an equal” and as the “axis” of dharma or the Hindu religion.

The court said that the three accused – Wasim Kureshi, Mohammad Rafiq Kureshi and Asfak Bahelim – knew that “cows are considered as mothers”, but still “mercilessly slaughtered” one, the newspaper reported.

“If such accused…are not punished as prescribed by law, the mother cows will become extinct with the passage of time,” the Deccan Herald quoted the court as stating.

The three were convicted under provisions of the Gujarat Animal Preservation Amendment Act and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, among other charges. The court sentenced each of them to rigorous imprisonment for life and imposed a fine of Rs 3 lakh...

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