‘Make Cows national animal of India and give them Fundamental Rights’: Allahabad HC to Centre

Rejecting the bail petition of a man booked under the UP Cow Slaughter Act, Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav of the Allahabad High Court on Wednesday urged the Central government to bring a Bill in Parliament for “protection of cows” and to declare “cow protection as a fundamental right of Hindus”.

Justice Yadav also advised the Central government to declare cow as the national animal.

“Jab gaaye ka kalyaan hoga, tabhi desh ka kalyaan hoga (only if cow is revered, country will prosper),” the court said.

In his 12-page judgement, Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav noted that the applicant had, after committing theft of the cow, killed it, beheaded it, and also kept its meat.

“This is not the first offence of the applicant. Earlier also, he had committed cow slaughter which had disturbed the harmony of the society.

“…if he is released on bail, he will commit the same crime again leading to tension in society,” the judge observed.

The court further observed, “Fundamental right is not only the prerogative of beef eaters. Rather, those who worship the cow and are financially dependent on them also have the right to lead a purposeful life. The right to life is above the right to kill and the right to eat beef can never be considered a fundamental right.”

The court said, “The government will also have to bring a bill in Parliament and declare cows the national animal and make strict laws against those who talk about harming them. Laws should come for those also who talk about cow protection by making cowsheds, etc., but have nothing to do with cow protection. Their only aim is to earn money in the name of cow protection.”

“There are hundreds of examples in our country that whenever we forgot our ‘sanskriti’ (culture), the foreigners attacked us and made us slaves. Even today, if we do not wake up, then we should not forget the autocratic Taliban invasion and occupation of Afghanistan,” the court observed.