Cow should be declared as national animal: Allahabad High Court

The Allahabad High Court on Wednesday (September 1, 2021) said cow should be declraed a national animal and those who harm it must be punished. The bench observed that cow is an important part of the Indian culture, and said that a fundamental right is not only the prerogative of beef eaters but also of those who worship cows and are financially dependent on it.

New Delhi: The Allahabad High Court on Wednesday (September 1, 2021) said cow should be declraed a national animal and those who harm it must be punished. The bench observed that cow is an important part of the Indian culture, and said that a fundamental right is not only the prerogative of beef eaters but also of those who worship cows and are financially dependent on it. The government should bring a Bill in Parliament and declare cow as the national animal and make strict laws against those who talk about harming the animal, the bench of Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav said. "The right to life is above the right to kill and the right to eat beef can never be considered a fundamental right," the court said.  The court was hearing a bail plea of Javed of Sambhal district, who had allegedly stolen a cow and killed the animal. The court denied him bail calling him a repeat offender. "This is not the first offence of the applicant. Even before this offence, he had committed cow slaughter, which had disturbed the harmony in society," the court said.