Cow should be declared as national animal: Allahabad High Court

A bench of the Allahabad HC observed that cow is an important part of the Indian culture and it should be declared a national animal, also, those who harm it must be punished.

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New Delhi: The Allahabad High Court on Wednesday (September 1, 2021) said cow should be declared a national animal and those who harm it must be punished. The bench observed that cow is an important part of the Indian culture, and said that a fundamental right is not only the prerogative of beef eaters but also of those who worship cows and are financially dependent on it.

The government should bring a Bill in Parliament and declare cow as the national animal and make strict laws against those who talk about harming the animal, the bench of Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav said. "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 court was hearing a bail plea of Javed of Sambhal district, who had allegedly stolen a cow and killed the animal. The court denied him bail calling him a repeat offender. "This is not the first offence of the applicant. Even before this offence, he had committed cow slaughter, which had disturbed the harmony in society," the court said.

Mohsin Raza, UP minister welcomed the suggestion. "We welcome the suggestion of the High Court regarding the protection and maintenance of cows. The CM, PM, are all determined because it is also our cultural heritage and religious faith," he told ANI.

Though the opposition criticised BJP saying it is doing politics on 'cow'. While SP leader Anurag Bhadoria said, "BJP does politics on cow but cannot make arrangements for her stay, nothing can be more shameful for any government." Congress leader Surendra Rajpoot said, "Bharatiya Janata Party should consider what has been said in the High Court. The killing of cow should be stopped not only in UP but across the country. There is a ban in UP, it is not in Goa and Assam nor in the northeastern state."

The saints and ulemas welcomed the decision of the High Court. Qari Ishaq Gora (Patron Jamiat Dawatul Muslimeen) said, "Deobandi Ulemas welcomed and said that no one has any objection and should not have any objection in declaring cow as national animal."

Further, the court noted that it is not only Hindus who have understood the importance of cows, Muslim rulers also considered it as an important part of India's culture during their reign.

Yadav cited Babur, Humayun and Akbar as examples who had prohibited the sacrifice of cows in their religious festivals. Also, the ruler of Mysore, Hyder Ali, made cow slaughter a punishable offence.

(With inputs from PTI)