(With inputs from ANI)

Make cow the national animal: Rajasthan HC to Centre

NEW DELHI: The Rajasthan high court on Wednesday recommended the Centre to declare cow as the national animal of India.The court further suggested that anyone guilty of cow slaughter should be sentenced to life, a steep escalation from the present three years' imprisonment.Judge Mahesh Chandra Sharma made the recommendations while hearing the Hingonia Gaushala matter, a government-run cowshed in Jaipur where over a hundred cows had perished over the span of a few weeks last year.The petition comes at a time when a number of states in the country are protesting the government's decision to impose ban on the slaughter of cattle, primarily cows, for commercial purposes.There are over 8,000 cows at the Hingonia Gaushala which are taken care of by a team of 14 veterinarians, 24 livestock assistants, and about 200 other staff. Reports said the death of the cows was due to alleged lapse in maintenance of the cowshed.The high court has asked for a report on the cowshed every three months and directed UDH Secretary and the municipal commissioner to visit once every month. It has further instructed the forest department to plant 5,000 plants in the cowshed every year.