In Hinduism, cows are thought to be sacred, or deeply respected. They are held in high esteem and Hindus worship cows. Cows are seen as a 'caregiver' or maternal figure. One Hindu goddess, Bhoomi , is usually shown in the form of a cow. She represents the Earth. Most Hindus respect cows for their gentle nature, and also represent strength.
Broadly speaking, there was no blanket prohibition on cow slaughter in British India, except during World War-II when wartime shortages necessitated a ban on killing useful cattle. During much of the colonial period, Muslims were told by the law that they could slaughter cows provided that they did so in a walled enclosure, away from the gaze of Hindus, and discreetly, without much fanfare. Jawaharlal Nehru intended to keep things that way. However, he fought a losing battle within his own party over this question. Cattle slaughter, especially cow slaughter is a controversial topic in India because of the cattle's traditional status as an endeared and respected living being to many Hindus, Jains, and Buddhists while being considered an acceptable source of meat by Muslims as well as adherents of some other Indian religions. Article 48 of the Constitution of India mandates the state to prohibit the slaughter of cows and calves and draught cattle. On 26 October 2005, the Supreme Court of India, in a landmark judgement upheld the constitutional validity of anti-cow slaughter laws enacted by different state governments in India.20 out of 29 states in India currently have various laws regulating act of slaughtered cow, prohibiting the slaughter or sale of cows. Kerala, Goa, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura are the states where there are no restrictions on cow slaughter. AS per existing meat export policy in India, the export of beef (meat of cow, oxen and calf) is prohibited. Bone in meat, carcass, half carcass of buffalo is also prohibited and is not permitted to be exported. Only the boneless meat of buffalo, meat of goat and sheep and birds are permitted for export. India feels that the restriction on export to only boneless meat with a ban on meat with bones will add to the brand image of Indian meat. Animal carcasses are subjected to maturation for at least 24 hours before deboning. Subsequent heat processing during the bone removal operation is believed to be sufficient to kill the Foot- and-Mouth Disease virus. The laws governing cattle slaughter in India vary greatly from state to state. The "Preservation, protection and improvement of stock and prevention of animal diseases, veterinary training and practice" is Entry 15 of the State List of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution, meaning that State legislatures have exclusive powers to legislate the prevention of slaughter and preservation of cattle. Some States allow the slaughter of cattle with restrictions like a "fit-for-slaughter" certificate which may be issued depending on factors like age and gender of cattle, continued economic viability etc. Others completely ban cattle slaughter, while there is no restriction in a few states. On 26 May 2017, the Ministry of Environment of Indian Central Government led by Bharatiya Janata Party imposed a ban on the sale and purchase of cattle for slaughter at animal markets across India, under Prevention of Cruelty to Animals statutes, although Supreme Court of India suspended the ban on sale of cattle in its judgement in July 2017,giving relief to the multi-billion dollar beef and leather industries.
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