On 11 November, the Amreli Sessions Court announced life imprisonment for three men involved in a 2023 cow slaughter case. The men found guilty were identified as Kasim Haji Solanki, Sattar Ismail Solanki, and Akram Haji Solanki.

In its judgment, the court clearly said that even though the accused were fully aware that the cow is a sacred animal for Hindus, they still went ahead with slaughtering it. The court noted that their act “hurt the sentiments of the community”, making the offence extremely serious in nature.

What exactly happened in the case?

The case dates back to November 2023, when the Amreli City Police carried out a raid at a house located in the Motakhatkiwad area of Baharpara village. This action was taken after the police received a confidential tip-off. During the raid, officers recovered 40 kg of animal meat from the house. The house belonged to Kasim Haji Solanki, who was present during the operation.

The seized meat was sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) for examination, and the report confirmed that it was cow meat. Police also found weighing scales and other tools at the site, pointing towards the sale of cow meat.

During questioning, Kasim disclosed the names of two associates who had escaped during the raid. Both were later arrested. Following the arrests, Amreli City Police Station registered a case against all three men. The first hearing took place in the Sessions Court in 2024. After the trial, Principal District Judge Rizwana Bukhari convicted all three accused and ordered life imprisonment.

What observations did the court make?

In its judgment, the court stated that the three men were fully aware that the cow holds a highly sacred place in the Hindu faith. Despite this knowledge, they slaughtered the cow, and the recovered meat matched this finding. Because of this, the court ruled that offences under Section 295 of the IPC (damaging sacred objects with intent to insult a religion) and Section 429 of the IPC (killing or maiming animals) were proven.

The court also found the accused guilty under Sections 5, 6(c), 8(2), 8(4), and 10 of the Gujarat Animal Preservation Act, 1954. They were sentenced to life imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 5 lakh for violating Sections 8(2) and 10.

Additional punishments included:

• 3 years’ imprisonment and Rs 3,000 fine under IPC Sections 295 and 114

• 5 years’ imprisonment and Rs 5,000 fine under IPC Section 429

• 7 years’ imprisonment and Rs 1 lakh fine under Sections 5 and 8(4) of the Gujarat Act

The court ordered all sentences to run concurrently. Since all three were out on bail during the trial, they were ordered to be taken back to jail immediately.

Court dismissed claims of false implication by police

Throughout the trial, the accused argued that they were innocent and had been framed by the police. They claimed the panchnama lacked independent witnesses and that the investigation was biased. However, the court rejected these points. It explained that the law gives equal weight to the testimony of police witnesses as long as their statements are credible.

The court further noted there was nothing on record to show that the police acted dishonestly. Reports from the veterinary doctor and FSL experts clearly confirmed the meat was cow meat. The accused were also unable to provide any explanation on how the cow meat was found in their possession. Based on all evidence and witness statements, the court concluded that the three men had jointly slaughtered the cattle and intended to sell the meat.

‘If the court becomes lenient, society will be affected negatively’

While deciding the sentence, the court made an important remark. It stated in clear words: “If the court adopts a lenient approach, it will have adverse effects on society and on the criminal mindset of the accused.” The court said that although punishments should not be unnecessarily harsh, leniency in such cases could lead to harmful consequences for the community. With this reasoning, all three men were sentenced to life imprisonment.