Ahmedabad: A sessions court in Nadiad has sentenced a man to seven years’ imprisonment for transporting a bull in a mini truck for the purpose of slaughter, and imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on him under the cow protection laws. While additional sessions judge at Nadiad, P P Purohit, convicted one Lakshman Parmar, 28, to a seven-year jail term, he acquitted two others – Nagin Parmar and Jashu Parmar – giving them the benefit of doubt.According to the prosecution’s case, on Jan 25, 2024, three people from a cow protection group intercepted the vehicle carrying the bull at Aklaya crossroads near Mahemdabad. Lakshman, who was driving the vehicle was caught and handed over to police. Nagin and Jashu managed to escape.The complainant in this case, Manu Parmar, told the court that he runs a tea stall at Aklaya crossroads, and he witnessed a blue-coloured mini truck carrying cattle for the purpose of slaughter. He is a member of the Gau Rakshak Dal. He and two others from the group stopped the vehicle and found that a bull tied with a rope was inside the vehicle, without any provision for fodder or water. The police later nabbed two other accused and they were booked.The accused argued that prosecution examined only the members of the cow protection group and the panch witnesses, and that there was no independent witness to support the prosecution’s case.After trial, the court held Lakshman guilty under Section 6A of the Gujarat Animal Preservation Act, which bars transport of specified animals for slaughter without a permit from the competent authority. The court also convicted him under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, noting that the bull was tied with a rope and transported without fodder or water.While sentencing, the court considered the convict’s plea for leniency and said, “Considering the facts of the case, the convict is awarded the minimum punishment prescribed in the law in the interest of justice.”
