The Jammu and Kashmir high court has sought the comments of the J&K state government headed by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on a PIL seeking to scrap the legal provisions criminalising slaughter and sale of cow and its progeny in J&K. The petition has been filed by Afzal Qadri who is a retired professor of Kashmir University. He has contended that the existing law banning cow slaughter and sale interfered with the right to equality, right to life, right to practice religion and protection of minorities guaranteed by the Constitution.
Under section 298A of the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC) which is applicable in J&K along with the Indian Penal Code (IPC), intentionally killing or slaughtering a cow or like animal (including ox and buffalo) is a cognizable, non-bailable offence punishable with 10 years imprisonment and fine. Likewise, under section 298B of RPC, possessing the flesh such an animal is a cognizable, non-bailable offence punishable with imprisonment of one year and fine.
As reported in our recent article, another bench of the J&K High Court had issued Beef ban orders a few days back. It has been reported in media that the state government has remvoed additional advocate general Vishal Sharma for not properly defending Government stand before the high court, due to which directions were given to enforce the beef ban.
There have been strong reactions in the state following the above orders of the high court for strictly enforcing the beef ban in the state.
