Allahabad High Court : Cow should be designated as national animal, and protecting cows should be inserted in the fundamental rights of the hindus, as cow is an intrinsic part of our culture, the Central Government should enact laws to reflect this. This observation came while a Muslim man was about to get bail under the Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act.
The accused, Javed, who had committed a similar offence earlier on, had stolen a cow, beheaded it, and kept its meat. Javed, was charged with section 3, 5 and 8 of the Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act, under the Section 379 of IPC (Punishment of Theft).
Justice Shekhar Yadav said, "We know that when a country's culture and its faith get hurt, the country becomes weak.
A 12-page order stated, "The cow has been shown to play a significant role in India's ancient texts like the Vedas and Mahabharata, texts that define Indian culture and make India famous."
In the opinion of Justice Yadav, Cows should be given fundamental rights and those who harm them should be punished harshly.
Livelaw was of the opinion that, "fundamental right is not only the prerogative of beef eaters, rather, those who worship the cow and are financially dependent on cows, also have the right to lead a meaningful life”,
It also stated that the right to life takes precedence over the right to kill, and that the right to consume beef can never be considered a fundamental right.
"The country will be safe only when cows are well-cared for, and only then will the country prosper," Justice Yadav said.