A sessions court in Amreli district on Tuesday convicted three Muslim men of cow slaughter under the Gujarat Animal Preservation Act, sentencing them to life imprisonment and imposing a collective fine of more than ₹18 lakh.
According to Special Public Prosecutor Chandresh Mehta, this is the first time in Gujarat that three individuals have been handed life terms in a single cow-slaughter case.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Gujarat government welcomed the verdict, saying it remains “committed to cow protection” and that the judgment “makes it clear that the government will teach a tough lesson to those doing injustice to ‘Gaumata’.”
The Gujarat Animal Preservation Act prohibits the slaughter of any animal belonging to the cow progeny in the state.
Critics argue that these laws, often framed as animal welfare measures, disproportionately target Muslims and Dalits, who are involved in the cattle trade, leather industry, and beef consumption. This has led to economic disruption, vigilante violence, and Islamophobia.
The case dates back to November 6, 2023, when Amreli police, acting on a tip-off, raided a house in Baharpara, Khatkivad area of Amreli town.
Investigators reportedly found evidence of cow slaughter and recovered meat from the premises. A veterinary doctor and a forensic team later confirmed that the seized meat was of cow origin.
One of the accused, Akram Solanki (30), was arrested from the spot, while the two others, Kasim Solanki (20) and Sattar Solanki (52), initially fled but later surrendered.
In addition to the Gujarat Animal Preservation Act, the three men also faced charges under various sections of the Indian Penal Code. The trial was conducted before Sessions Judge Rizvana Bukhari, who convicted the trio and ordered that failure to pay the fine would result in additional imprisonment.
The state government hailed the ruling as “historic,” with spokesperson and senior minister Jitu Vaghani describing it as a “red signal” to those involved in cow slaughter.
The government’s statement emphasised that “Gaumata is a centre of Indian culture and faith,” adding that Gujarat would show “no mercy” in such offences. Vaghani also noted that strong evidence and a robust chargesheet had led to the convictions.
He further pointed out that Gujarat first introduced stringent legislation against cow slaughter in 2011, during the tenure of then Chief Minister and now Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and that the law was later strengthened to include the provision of life imprisonment.
Under BJP rule, more than 20 states, most of them governed by the Hindutva party, have amended cow-protection laws to impose harsher penalties, including life imprisonment, fines of up to ₹5 lakh, and bans on beef possession and sale.
In Maharashtra, for instance, a 2015 amendment prohibited the slaughter of cows, bulls, and bullocks, and made possession of beef punishable with up to five years in jail.
Uttar Pradesh, under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, closed hundreds of Muslim-run slaughterhouses and meat shops after taking office in 2017.
Gujarat amended its law the same year to equate cow slaughter with murder, enabling courts to impose life sentences, while Assam’s 2021 law banned the sale of beef near temples and in predominantly non-beef-eating areas, disproportionately affecting Muslim vendors.
Many allege that these legislative changes align with the BJP’s Hindu nationalist ideology, which frames “gau raksha,” or cow protection, as an act of cultural preservation.
However, data shows that dairy farming, not beef consumption, is the primary driver of cattle slaughter, and India’s buffalo meat exports, worth around ₹4,000 crore annually, remain unaffected by the state-level restrictions.
