The Haryana government has set up four special courts to speed up cases under the Haryana Gauvansh Sanrakshan and Gausamvardhan Act, 2015, which bans cow slaughter and regulates cattle transportation. This decision comes amid criticism from the Opposition over the poor enforcement of the law, especially in areas like Nuh, where the population is predominantly Muslim.
In January, the Punjab and Haryana High Court raised concerns about how the law was being implemented. While the law aims to prevent cow slaughter and limit beef consumption, the increasing number of cases under the Act suggests that its enforcement has not been effective.
Justice Sandeep Moudgil pointed out that a powerful meat lobby is driving beef sales, but the law is not being enforced as intended.
According to a government notification issued on March 4, the newly established courts will have jurisdiction over multiple districts. The Nuh court will handle cases from Nuh, Rewari, Narnaul, Charkhi Dadri, and Bhiwani. The Palwal court will cover Palwal, Faridabad, Gurugram, Jhajjar, Rohtak, Sonipat, and Panipat.
The Ambala court will oversee cases from Ambala, Panchkula, Yamunanagar, Kurukshetra, and Karnal. The Hisar court will be responsible for cases from Hisar, Jind, Kaithal, Fatehabad, and Sirsa. The most senior Additional District and Sessions Judge and Civil Judge in each district will lead these courts.
Under Haryana’s strict cow protection law, cow slaughter carries a prison term of up to 10 years, while cow trafficking is punishable by up to seven years.
Also Read: Cancer drugs worth lakhs stolen from Gurugram hospital
The law also bans the possession, sale, or consumption of beef, including canned beef. However, official data from 2022 shows that in Nuh, only four out of 69 registered cases resulted in convictions, leading to an acquittal rate of nearly 94 per cent.
Nuh has seen several violent incidents linked to allegations of cow slaughter in recent years. In 2023, a religious procession organized by the Vishva Hindu Parishad and Matra Shakti Durga Vahini was attacked, allegedly by youths from the local Muslim community. The violence led to six deaths, over 70 injuries, and property damage worth several crores.
Court rulings in some cow protection cases have pointed out a lack of strong evidence. In one case, the judge noted that simply being a Muslim could not be the basis for assuming someone was transporting cows for slaughter. Congress MLA Atfab Ahmed from Nuh argued that many cases in the district were filed without proof, mainly targeting people from the minority community.
He claimed that the law, instead of being used against the real beef trade operators, was being misused for political reasons, leading to wrongful arrests. He also expressed doubt that special courts would change the outcome of these cases since acquittals have mostly occurred due to false charges.
On the other hand, Sharvan Kumar Garg, chairman of the Haryana government’s Gau Raksha Aayog, believes these special courts will improve conviction rates.
He pointed to a recent case where two individuals were convicted of cow slaughter and sentenced to nine years in prison with a fine of Rs 90,000 each. He said that trained public prosecutors in the new courts would ensure stricter enforcement of the law.
Also Read: Haryana CM urges AAP govt to buy Punjab crops at MSP
Follow us
