No proposal under consideration for a nationwide ban on cow slaughter. - Union Government

New Delhi– Demands are periodically raised by various organisations and members of parliament to grant the cow the status of a national animal and to impose a nationwide ban on cow slaughter. Citizens, too, submit petitions and representations seeking such measures. However, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal has clarified that, at present, there is no such proposal before the Union Cabinet.

1. Meghwal stated that laws relating to cow slaughter differ from state to state. State governments take decisions according to local circumstances and requirements.

2. He also referred to stricter steps recently taken by the BJP government in Bengal to enforce regulations governing animal slaughter under the state’s 1950 law.

Political will of the Union Government is essential for a ban on cow slaughter

From a legal standpoint, there are certain obstacles to enacting a nationwide cow-slaughter ban. For example, the subject of cow protection falls under the jurisdiction of the states rather than the Union, and Article 48 of the Constitution, which directs the State to protect cattle, is part of the Directive Principles of State Policy rather than a Fundamental Right. Nevertheless, it should be remembered that a government capable of removing Article 370, once considered nearly impossible, can also impose a nationwide ban on cow slaughter if it has the necessary political will.