Allahabad HC urges UP govt to take cow slaughter cases seriously

Prayagraj: The Allahabad High Court on Saturday ordered the state government to carefully investigate a cow slaughter case, expressing dissatisfaction with the police investigation into such situations.

Additionally, the court ordered Prayagraj police commissioner Ramit Sharma to provide a progress report detailing the number of cow slaughter cases that have been reported to the various police stations throughout the district, along with the number of cases for which an investigation is ongoing, PTI reported.

Hearing an anticipatory bail application filed by one Saif Ali Khan of Prayagraj, who is accused of cow slaughter, Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav directed to put up this case as fresh on December 18, 2023, for the next hearing.

On Saturday, as per the directions of the court, police commissioner Sharma appeared before the court and filed an affidavit giving details regarding the steps taken to check the cases of cow slaughter. The court took the affidavit on record but expressed dissatisfaction over the efforts made by the police authorities. However, on a request made on behalf of the state counsel, the court granted further time of two weeks for filing a better affidavit.

It also exempted the personal appearance of the police commissioner for the next date. On November 17, while hearing the anticipatory bail application by Khan from whose possession police had reportedly recovered 1.5 quintals of beef in 2019, the high court had taken serious note that the investigation in the case has not been completed despite the fact that the case was registered in 2019.

The court had also expressed its concern that the cases of cow slaughtering are coming to notice in the state despite the promulgation of the UP Cow Slaughter Act, which provides cow slaughtering a serious and cognizable offence.

Besides, the court had also expressed its concern over the laxity of police departments in connection with cow slaughter cases in the state.