Karnataka cabinet on Monday decided to promulgate an ordinance to give effect to the anti-cow slaughter bill that is yet to be approved by the legislative council.

Once enacted, there will be a blanket prohibition on cow slaughter in the state.

However, the slaughterhouses will continue to function in the state and beef consumption will not be prohibited with respect to buffalo meat, reported Zee News.

‘The anti-cow slaughter law is not new. We have had it for decades. Previously, there was a ban on the slaughter of cows until the age of 13. We have extended it with an intention that older cows should not be left out. Since the prohibition does not extend to buffaloes, there is no ban on beef consumption,’ Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister J C Madhuswamy said.

He said during the cabinet meeting that the ordinance is likely to be sent to the Governor within a day for his approval.

For a bill to become law, its passage in the legislative council, followed by assent by the Governor, is necessary.

The Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Bill 2020 bill proposes a maximum of seven years imprisonment and a fine of ₹5 lakh for the offenders.

It seeks a total ban on slaughter of cows in the state and provides for stringent punishment to those who indulge in smuggling, illegal transportation, atrocities on cows and slaughtering them.

The government had to opt for the ordinance route as the Bill passed by the legislative assembly earlier this month in the winter session amid the opposition from the Congress has not yet been approved by the legislative council.

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