Give cow fundamental rights, declare it national animal: Allahabad HC to Centre

Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh): The Allahabad High Court on Wednesday observed that cows are an integral part of the Indian culture and suggested the Central government to give fundamental rights to the animal and declare it as the national animal.

The Court’s observations came as a single bench of Justice Shekhar Yadav was hearing the bail application of a person named Javed who was arrested under the Cow Slaughter Act in Uttar Pradesh. The bail application was rejected by the court.

Justice Yadav said that the central government should table a bill in the Parliament to give fundamental rights to cows. He further said that strict laws should be enacted to punish those harming the animal.

“Give cow fundamental rights, declare it national animal. We know that when a country’s culture and its faith gets hurt, the country becomes weak,” noted the Court.

Commenting on the HC’s observation, Gau Seva Aayog Chairman Shyam Nandan Singh, said, “I very much welcome the court’s decision, and I am happy that the court has given its decision to make the cow the national animal. Society was demanding this decision for a long time. Today, after many years, such a good decision has come. There are many gods inside the cow, the cow is not only an animal but our culture. The court’s decision to give fundamental rights to the cow is also a very good decision.”