No decision on cow slaughter ban

Bengaluru: The Karnataka government on Thursday dithered on the contentious issue of banning cow slaughter was one of the significant promises of the BJP in its Karnataka Assembly polls manifesto.

The state cabinet also discussed the issue of banning cow slaughter in the state, but no decision was taken. The issue was discussed at length at the Cabinet meeting held on Thursday. However, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa and his Cabinet colleagues have not arrived at any decision on banning cow slaughter.

The Karnataka government was mulling to introduce a bill in the Assembly seeking to ban cow-slaughter and sale and consumption of beef in the State. The Cabinet ministers had exerted immense pressure on Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa to ban cow slaughter as was done in other states.

The Yediyurappa government was mulling to introduce a stringent version of anti-cow slaughter law that it had moved in 2010 but couldn't get passed.

The Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Bill, 2010, provided for a blanket ban on cow slaughter, consumption, sale, and transport of beef in the state.

The Karnataka government had also planned to send a team to Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh to study how the anti-cow slaughter law was successfully implemented in the two states. The team was to study laws introduced in other states and, based on their findings, the 2010 Bill was to be reintroduced.

The slaughter of cows is also banned in Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Assam, Bihar, Chandigarh, Chattisgarh, Delhi, and Haryana.

Several Cabinet ministers had been exerting pressure on Yediyurappa to ban cow slaughter like it has been done in some states of India. Among Yediyurappa's Cabinet colleagues, minister for tourism, Kannada & Culture C T Ravi was in the forefront to call for bringing back the proposed 2010 bill that the Yediyuappa government had introduced.

Karnataka Animal Husbandry Minister Prabhu Chauhan also exerted pressure on Yediyurappa to implement a ban on cow slaughter and sale and consumption of beef.

In 2010, Yediyurappa had moved the controversial anti-cow slaughter bill. It was passed in both the Houses, but the former Governor Bharadwaj did not give his assent to the bill. Soon after Siddaramaiah rode to power in 2013, the bill was stuck down. Currently, the state has Karnataka Prevention of Cow Slaughter and Cattle Preservation Act, 1964.

The law allowed for the slaughter of bulls, bullocks and buffaloes, provided they were aged above twelve, or were no longer fit for breeding or did not give milk. The law also required certification from the competent authority for slaughter.