Cow killer deemed to rot in hell as many years as there are hairs upon his body: Allahabad HC

Court asks Central government to declare cow as protected national animal

“Anyone who kills cows or allows others to kill them is deemed to rot in hell as many years as there are hairs upon his body,” said a single-judge Bench of Justice Shamim Ahmed of Allahabad High Court in a judgment delivered while dismissing Mohammad Abdual Khaliq’s plea to get the case of cow slaughter lodged against him quashed.

“We are living in a secular country and must have respect for all religions and in Hinduism, the belief and faith is that cow is representative of divine and natural beneficence and should therefore be protected and venerated,” the court said.

It added that in the late 19th and 20th centuries, in India, a movement to protect cows arose that sought to unify the citizens by demanding that the Government of India ban cow slaughter immediately.

“This court hope[s] and trust[s] that the Central government may take appropriate decision to ban cow slaughtering in the country and to declare the same as ‘protected national animal’,” it added.

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The court maintained that from the perusal of the materials on record, looking into the facts of the present case and after considering the arguments made at the bar, it does not appear that no offence has been made out against the applicant.

While dismissing the plea filed by Mr. Khaliq in mid-February, the court maintained that the cow has also been associated with various deities, notably Lord Shiva (whose steed is Nandi, a bull) Lord Indra (closely associated with Kamadhenu, the wise-granting cow), Lord Krishna (a cowherd in his youth), and goddesses in general (because of the maternal attributes of many of them).