Gujarat Court Cites Vedas and Manusmriti to Sentence Three Muslim Men to Life in Cow Slaughter Case

A sessions court in Kalol, Gujarat has sentenced three Muslim men to rigorous life imprisonment for cow slaughter, in a verdict that has sparked wide debate for its extensive reliance on Hindu religious scriptures to frame the gravity of the offence. Additional Sessions Judge B R Rajput delivered the judgment, convicting the three accused under the Gujarat Animal Preservation (Amendment) Act and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, among other applicable statutes.

The three convicts were identified as Wasim Qureshi, Mahmad Rafiq Qureshi, and Asfaq Bahelim, all residents of Ahmedabad. In addition to life imprisonment, the court imposed a fine of Rs 2 lakh on each of the three men.

The judgment drew immediate attention for its opening four pages, which were devoted not to the facts of the case but to a religious and cultural treatise on the significance of the cow in Hinduism. The court described cows as revered as the mother of the universe and cited the traditional belief that 33 crore deities reside within them. The Manusmriti was cited to argue that cattle must be regarded not merely as animals but as beings central to Hindu dharma.

Police had caught the accused while they were allegedly preparing to sell the meat, and seized around 277 kg of beef at the time of arrest. Investigators found that the men had purchased older, non-productive cattle at reduced prices before slaughtering them for commercial sale.

The court's invocation of ancient scriptures in a criminal sentencing judgment is unusual under Indian jurisprudence, which rests on a secular constitutional framework. Legal observers noted that while the Gujarat Animal Preservation Act provides for stringent penalties, including life imprisonment for repeat or aggravated offences, the explicit textual reliance on religious doctrine in judicial reasoning raises questions about the boundary between cultural context and legally admissible rationale.

Gujarat has one of the country's strictest cow protection laws. The state amended its Animal Preservation Act in 2017 to extend the maximum punishment for cow slaughter to life imprisonment, among the harshest such provisions in India. Several other BJP-governed states have similarly tightened cattle slaughter legislation over the past decade.

Critics, including legal scholars and minority rights advocates, have argued that such laws are enforced disproportionately against Muslim and Dalit communities, who are historically involved in the leather trade and meat industry. Proponents contend that the laws protect a deeply held religious and cultural sentiment shared by a large majority of the population.

The case drew additional attention in the context of a separate incident in Madhya Pradesh's Damoh district, where a mob allegedly assaulted two buffalo traders during transport, underlining continuing tensions around cattle-related disputes across central and western India.

The judgment is expected to face legal scrutiny, with rights groups indicating they are monitoring the case for a potential appeal. The explicit religious framing in the court's written order is likely to become a focal point of any challenge, given that India's Constitution mandates equal treatment before a secular law regardless of religious identity.

As of the time of reporting, no statement had been issued by the Gujarat government or the state's law department regarding the verdict. Legal advocacy organisations said they were studying the full text of the judgment before deciding on next steps.