Cow regarded as ‘mother of the world’: Gandhinagar court sentences three to life

A Gandhinagar court has handed three individuals from Ahmedabad life sentences for their alleged involvement in a cow slaughter case. The court emphasized the sacred status of the cow, citing the Sanskrit shloka and the Manusmriti, which refers to the cow as the "mother of the world." The accused—Vasim Qureshi, 34; Mohammad Rafiq Qureshi, 24; and Asfaq Behlim, 19—were discovered with 277 kg of meat, later confirmed to be beef, during a police operation on August 22, 2024.

They were sentenced under the Gujarat Animal Preservation Act, 1954, which was amended in 2017 to impose life imprisonment for cow slaughter violations. The court's order, delivered on October 26, cited the cow's significance in Hinduism, noting that she is the mother of all bovine species and an abode for 33 crore deities. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 3 lakh on the convicts.

The prosecution had presented 54 witnesses and 18 pieces of documentary evidence to support their case. Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi praised the verdict, stating that it sends a clear message that the law will not tolerate cow slaughter in Gujarat.