A Gandhinagar court sentenced three persons from Ahmedabad to life imprisonment in a cow slaughter case in an order that extensively cited Manusmriti, referring to the cow as “mother of the world”.The accused — Vasim Qureshi, 34, from Juhapura; Mohammad Rafiq Qureshi, 24, from Behrampura and Asfaq Behlim, 19, from Sarkhej in Ahmedabad — were found to be in possession of 277 kg of meat, which was later confirmed to be beef, during a police crackdown on August 22, 2024.The three were sentenced under the Gujarat Animal Preservation Act, 1954, which was amended in 2017 to award life sentences to violators of the law that bans the slaughter of cows and their progeny.The order began by quoting a Sanskrit shloka that is roughly translated as: “Protecting the cow is an act associated with religion and compassion, while justice protects the truth. Where the killing of a cow takes place, legal action should be taken. If the offence against the accused is established by evidence, appropriate punishment should be imposed in accordance with the applicable law. Religion and justice can be established only by following the path of justice. Protecting living beings and ensuring compliance with the law are important duties of a just society.”The order stated, “According to the Vedas and Hindu religious scriptures, when drops of nectar from Lord Brahma’s mouth fell on the earth through penance, the Surabhi cow (Kamadhenu) appeared. She is considered the mother of all bovine species on earth.”“The cow is regarded as the ‘mother of the world,’ serving as an abode for 33 crore deities. Her four legs are symbolic of the four Vedas, the court said.Additional Sessions Judge Brijeshkumari Rameshwar Singh Rajput also imposed a fine of Rs 3 lakh on the convicts in her order pronounced on October 26, at the Kalol court of Gandhinagar District.Story continues below this adAccording to the prosecution, six persons were arrested on August 22, 2024, with the alleged beef and weapons used to slaughter cows, and a vehicle meant to transport the meat, following raids on a house in Dhankani Vaas of Jamla village in Kalol taluka.The offence was registered at the Kalol Taluka police station based on a complaint by a head constable, against Lalbhai Manilal Senma, 55 (who died during the trial), Vasim Qureshi, Mohammad Rafiq Qureshi, Asfaq Behlim, Ghulam Moin Mushtaq Ahmed Ismail Qureshi, 24, and Vitthal alias Bhupat, 37 (Lalbhai Senma’s son).The allegation was that Lalbhai Senma and his son bought weak or non-lactating cows and buffaloes and brought Vasim, Rafiq and Asfaq from Ahmedabad to “cruelly slaughter the animals for financial gain”.As per the investigation, the prosecution said the accused intended to sell the beef to Ghulam Moin. After the trial, the court found three of the six men guilty. The prosecution produced 54 witnesses and 18 pieces of documentary evidence to establish the charges.Story continues below this adGujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi hailed the verdict, stating in a post on X: “Clear message that the law will never spare those who commit cow slaughter in Gujarat. Protecting the cow mother is Gujarat’s unwavering resolve. Congratulations to Gandhinagar Police and the government’s side for the accurate investigation and presenting strong evidence.”