The Lucknow bench of Allahabad excessive court docket has expressed hope that the Centre will take an applicable choice to ban cow slaughter and declare it as a ‘protected nationwide animal’.
Photograph: ANI Photo
“We stay in a secular nation and will need to have respect for all religions. In Hinduism, the idea is that the cow is the consultant of divine and pure beneficence. Therefore it needs to be protected and honored,” Justice Shamim Ahmad stated on February 14, dismissing a plea searching for the quashing of prison proceedings towards an individual underneath the Uttar Pradesh Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act, 1955.
The petitioner, Barabanki resident Mohammad Abdul Khaliq, had pleaded that the police booked him with none proof and therefore the proceedings pending towards him in the court docket of extra chief judicial Justice of the Peace needs to be quashed.
Dismissing the plea, the bench held that from the details on report, a prima facie case was made out towards the petitioner.
While passing the order, the decide noticed, “The cow has additionally been related to numerous deities, notably Lord Shiva (whose steed is Nandi, a bull) Lord Indra (carefully related to Kamadhenu), Lord Krishna (a cowherd in his youth), and goddesses in common.”
“According to legend, she emerged from the ocean of milk on the time of Samudramanthan (the nice churning of the ocean by the gods and demons). She was introduced to the seven sages and with time got here into the custody of sage Vasishta.”
The decide additional stated {that a} cow’s legs symbolise the 4 Vedas and her milk is 4 ‘purushartha‘ (or human goals — ‘dharma‘ or righteousness, ‘artha‘ or materials wealth, ‘kama‘ or want and ‘moksha‘ or salvation.
“Her horns symbolise the gods, her face the solar and moon, and her shoulders ‘Agni‘ (the god of fireside). The cow has additionally been described in different types: Nanda, Sunanda, Surabhi, Susheela and Sumana,” Justice Ahmad stated.
He stated that the origin of the veneration of the cow could be traced to the Vedic interval.
‘The Indo-European peoples who entered India in the second millennium BCE have been pastoralists. Cattle had a significant financial significance that was mirrored in their faith. The slaughter of milk-producing cows was more and more prohibited. It is forbidden in the Mahabharata, and in the Manusmriti.’
A cow which produces milk was stated to be ‘unslayable’ in the Rigveda, the court docket stated, including, “The diploma of veneration afforded to cow is indicated by the use in rites of therapeutic purification and penance of the ‘panchagavya‘ (cow-milk, curd, butter, urine, and dung).”
Subsequently, with the rise of the best of ‘ahimsa‘, cow got here to symbolise non-violence, it stated.
‘In addition, as a result of her merchandise equipped nourishment, the cow was related to motherhood and Mother Earth and laws towards cow killing endured into the twentieth century in many princely states,’ stated the court docket.
According to the excessive court docket bench, legends additionally state that Brahma gave life to monks and cows on the similar time in order that the monks may recite spiritual scriptures whereas cows may afford ghee as an providing in rituals.
‘Anyone who kills cows or permits others to kill them is deemed to rot in hell for as a few years as there are hairs upon his physique. Likewise, the bull is depicted as a automobile of Lord Shiva: a logo of respect for the male cattle.
‘In the Mahabharata, Bhishma observes that the cow acts as a surrogate mom by offering milk to human beings for a lifetime, so she is really the mom of the world. The Puranas state that nothing is extra spiritual than the present of cows. Lord Rama was given a present of many cows,’ the bench stated.
Dismissing the petition, it stated, ‘This bench Lucknow hopes and trusts that the central authorities will take applicable choice to ban cow slaughter in the nation and declare cows ‘protected nationwide animal’.’
