Karnataka puts amendments to cattle slaughter law on hold amid concerns about potential attacks from Opposition along communal lines

Karnataka Animal Husbandry Minister K Venkatesh told The Indian Express that the bill will not be tabled during the state legislature’s Winter Session, which began on December 8 and will go on until December 19.

According to sources, the proposed amendments to the bill were meant to offer some reprieve to owners of vehicles seized for alleged illegal transportation of cattle. The bill sought to ease the process of releasing the vehicles, provided an ‘indemnity bond’ was submitted to the jurisdictional court, rather than a ‘bank guarantee’.

The state Cabinet cleared the amendments on December 4, days before the winter session kicked off. Following Cabinet clearance, the government said the proposed changes to the law were minor and aimed to substitute the word ‘indemnity bond’ for ‘bank guarantee’, in line with a 2022 high court order.

The court had directed officials to release vehicles seized for alleged illegal transportation of cattle on the production of an indemnity bond, which was relatively cheaper than a bank guarantee.

Though the government was learnt to be keen on taking up the bill, a section of ruling party legislators suggested delaying its introduction, fearing it would provide the Opposition with ammunition to attack the government along communal lines.

The Act was passed by the erstwhile BJP government in 2020, which banned the slaughter of cattle, save for buffalos above 13 years of age. The law provides for imprisonment of three to seven years, along with a fine of up to Rs 7 lakh.