The court of Gandevi Judicial Magistrate on Friday sentenced Rafik Illyasbhai Khalifa, 35, to three years in jail and also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on him ($150), while convicting him under relevant sections of Gujarat Animal Preservation Act of 2011.
According to the law, keeping, buying, selling or transporting beef is banned in the state of Gujarat.
According to the local court's rule, "Cow is associated with the religious sentiment of a community. So such a crime threatens the peace of society."
The court also stated that reducing the sentence on the ground that the accused is from a poor background is not justified.
The man was taken in custody after a group of cow protection activists caught him transporting 2 kilograms of meat on his motorcycle.
While being mostly a religious dogma in India, laws on cattle slaughter differ between Indian states. In most of them, cow slaughter is totally prohibited, with different legislation regarding bulls and bullocks slaughter. Maharashtra state is the strictest on beef consumption, with any form of production, transportation or import of beef is prohibited
Indian activists actively seek and report beef producers and traders, who turn out to be mostly members of the Indian Muslim minority, as they are not bound by corresponding religious dogmas. The prosecution of the violators is mostly impeded by the slow and ineffective procedure of forensic expertise. According to reports, Maharashtra police received forensic results on only 7 cases out of 100.
Muslim and Christian minorities in India see cattle slaughter legislation as a violation of their freedoms, causing a major controversy in India. According to research, the Hindu religion, despite defining cows as sacred animals, did not forbid beef consumption in the past.
