Prez nod to bill with 7-yr jail term for cow slaughter

President Pratibha Patil has granted her assent to the long-pending Madhya Pradesh Cow Progeny Slaughter Prevention (Amendment) Bill.

President Pratibha Patil has granted her assent to the long-pending Madhya Pradesh Cow Progeny Slaughter Prevention (Amendment) Bill.

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Now, the accused in cow slaughter case would get maximum punishment of seven years in jail instead of three years and a minimum fine of Rs 5,000. The bill was passed in the state assembly in 2010.

With the enforcement of the amended Act now the responsibility of proving the prosecution wrong would lie with the accused in case of cow slaughter.

According to a government release, the amended Act provides that no person shall slaughter or cause to be slaughtered or offer slaughter any cow progeny by any means.

Besides, no person including transporter shall transport or offer for transport or cause to be transported any cow progeny himself or by his agent, servant or by any other person acting on his behalf within the state or outside the state for the purpose of its slaughter.

The amended Act also has provisions for specifying necessary actions for feeding and rearing the cow progeny. Another provision of this Act is that any police officer not below the rank of head constable or any person authorised in this behalf by competent authority shall have the power of entry, inspection, search and seizure and to present the case in the court.

The state government had forwarded the amendment bill on September 3, 2010 to the union home ministry for Presidential assent.

The assent was received on December 22, 2011. The amended Act was published in the extraordinary gazette of Madhya Pradesh on December 31, 2011.

Now the state government would take action for enforcement of the amended Act through a notification, says the release.

The minister for culture and public relations Laxmikant Sharma has hailed the Presidential assent to the amended bill saying under the leadership of chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan the state government was committed to enforcing the provisions of the the Act in letter and spirit.