Karnataka Legislative Assembly on December 9, 2020 passed the Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Bill (2020).
Objective
- The Bill envisages a ban on all forms of cattle slaughter and stringent punishment for offenders.
Definitions
- In the bill, ‘beef’ is defined as the flesh of cattle in any form.
- The word ‘cattle’ is defined as “cow, calf of a cow and bull, bullock, and he or she buffalo below the age of thirteen years”.
Features
- Police officers ranked sub-inspector and above or a competent authority will have the power to search premises and seize cattle and materials used or intended to use to commit the offence.
- Cow slaughter is a cognizable offence and violators can attract three to seven years of imprisonment.
- A penalty between Rs 50,000 and Rs 5 lakh can be levied for the first offence while second and subsequent offences can attract penalties ranging between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 10 lakh.
