A sessions court in Gujarat’s Amreli district on Tuesday sentenced three persons to life imprisonment for cow slaughter under provisions of the Gujarat Animal Preservation Act, the Deccan Herald reported.

The Act bans the slaughter of animals belonging to the cow progeny in the state.

The Bharatiya Janata Party government on Wednesday described the verdict as “historic”, adding that it was a “red signal” for those involved in cow slaughter, The Indian Express reported.

In the judgement, Sessions Judge Rizvana Bukhari held Kasim Solanki, Sattar Solanki and Akram Solanki guilty of cow slaughter, observing that the three men did it despite knowing that the animals were considered sacred in Hinduism.

The judge also ordered them to pay a collective fine of more than Rs 18 lakh, The Indian Express reported.

During the proceedings, Special Public Prosecutor Chandresh Mehta said that this was the first time that three persons had been convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in a single case of cow slaughter in Gujarat by a court, the newspaper reported.

The three men were arrested in Amreli town in November 2023.

This came after a police constable Vanraj Manjariya filed a complaint alleging that Kasim Solanki, Sattar Solanki and Akram Solanki were found slaughtering a cow at Baharpara in the Mota Khatkiwad area of the town and disposing of the remains in a drain, The Times of India reported.

Manjariya alleged that this had hurt the sentiments of the Hindu community.

The police raided a house linked to the three men and recovered 40 kg of cow meat, animal remains, knives, weighing scales and a vehicle, the newspaper reported.

Akram Solanki was arrested from the site but the two others had fled, The Indian Express reported. They later surrendered to the police.

In addition to the Gujarat Animal Preservation Act, the three men also faced charges under sections of the Indian Penal Code.

In a statement on Wednesday, state Minister Jitu Vaghani said that the Gujarat government was committed to cow protection, The Indian Express reported.

The verdict made it clear that the state government “will teach a tough lesson to those doing injustice to ‘Gaumata [mother cow]’,” he added.

Vaghani also said that cows are the centre of Indian culture and faith. “Gujarat government will show no mercy in offences such as cow slaughter,” the statement added.

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