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GANDHINAGAR: Gujarat government has notified the toughest law against cow slaughter in the country homicide and cow slaughter both now carry maximum punishment of life term in the state.

The state government had passed ‘The Gujarat Animal Preservation (Amendment) Bill 2017’ in March in the state assembly and it was later approved by the governor.

The new law raises the maximum punishment from the current seven years in jail to a life term or 14 years, but not less than seven years, for cow slaughter. Along with the jail term, any one convicted of cow slaughter will have to pay a fine ranging from Rs1 lakh to Rs5 lakh.

The new law, which is also seen as an all-out attempt to please right-wingers and consolidate Hindu votes ahead of the 2017 assembly polls, makes offences under the act cognizable and non-bailable.

Minister of state for home, Pradeepsinh Jadeja , said, “We have not only enacted the law, but now by forming the rules, the law has been formally put into effect.”

“Now onwards, any attempt to kill cows will carry life imprisonment in the state. We will not tolerate any negligence on the part of police officials, too,” Jadeja said.

“We have equalled the killing of a cow or cow progeny with the killing of a human being,” said Jadeja justifying the life sentence for cow slaughter.

The minimum jail term for illegal ferrying of cows for slaughter, too, has been raised from 7 years to 10 years as against the current provision of 3 years to 7 years. The monetary penalty has also been increased from Rs50,000 to Rs1lakh.

Further, the act also allows police to forfeit vehicles seized for illegal ferrying of cattle. Earlier, the police had to release the vehicles after six months of the FIR.

Also under the new law, there will be a total ban on transport of cows at night. “Due to lack of effective laws, butchers had a free run, so there was need of this strict law to prevent cows being killed,” Jadeja said.

“As a Hindu it used to pain me lot. The new law is expression of the feelings of all countrymen. This was required to save our religion, culture, economy and environment,” said Jadeja.

