Centre to Relax Rules on Cattle Trade to Overcome the Political Setback

Amidst backlash in the cattle based trade and economy across the country, the BJP-led Centre is forced to make significant changes in the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Regulation of Livestock Market) Rules, 2017.

According to an Indian Express report, the Centre will keep away any reference to the term “slaughter” in its diluted version of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Rules. “No unfit animal or young animal shall be sold in an animal market,” the draft of the diluted version of rule reads. Further, it adds that “no person shall permit an animal to be offered or displayed for sale in an animal market if it is likely to give birth while it is there or during its transportation to or from such animal market”. 

The original version of the rules which was first notified by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on May 23, 2017, invited a wide range of criticism from various sectors of life, mainly from the agrarian sector.  Various farmers’ organizations across the country took to the streets to protest against the ban.

“They have removed the clause which says about possession of certificate signed by the owner of cattle or the duly authorized agent, and it is a positive remark as far as it concerned. However, there is no mention to control the attacks which are continuously happening in the name of Gau-Raksha,” said Vijoo Krishnan, Joint Secretary of All India Kisan Sabha, one of the leading organisations which fought against the 2017 rule.

Restricting the sale of cattle, the ministry in its notification on last May, stated that “no person shall bring a cattle to an animal market unless upon arrival he has furnished a written declaration signed by the owner of the cattle or his duly authorized agent… stating that the cattle has not been brought to market for sale for slaughter.”

“Centre’s rule which had adversely impacted the people who are linked to cattle forced the farmers to abandon their animals which were useless for them. And the farmers were facing problems since the crops were destructed by these stray cattle,” said Vijoo.

“The farmers used to sell their cattle to find their immediate social expenditure,” added Vijoo.

“At the same time when the government talks about the preventing cruelties against animals, the Gaushalas which are run by these people are seen as the hub of cruelties against these animals. Especially in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh hundreds of cows died, these aspects also should come into existence.”

“As per the new draft, the Centre is silent about the cow vigilante”, the AIKS joint secretary pointed out about one of the worst impacts of the earlier rule.

As the Centre had floated the rule in May 2017, the fear of being targeted by the cow vigilantes has gone up. On the other hand, in several parts of the country, rumours of cow slaughter and consumption of beef triggered violence. Pehlu Khan, Junaid and so many others stand as the victims of these kinds of cow vigilantes who were protected by the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Regulation of Livestock Market) Rules, 2017.

“It is just a balancing draft which is still based on their basic political agenda, cow,” said AdvSubhashChandran, who has appeared in Supreme Court for AIKS for the stay of the rule.

“Though the Supreme Court itself asked the government to control the cow vigilante groups, the new draft does not contain any provisions to control such groups,” Subhash pointed out.

“When the Apex Court had disposed of the case, the Court was informed by the government that they would be withdrawing the existing rule and a new one will be floated. As per the report, it seems that the government has just diluted the existing rule rather than constituting the new rule. It is clear that the government is still sticking on their basic agenda,” said Subhash exposing the electoral agendas behind the dilution of the May 2017 rule.

In May 2017, Madurai bench of Madras High Court granted an interim order staying the implementation of the particular rule. Upholding the interim order, Supreme Court had extended the stay in National wide in July 2017.

The nationwide protests especially the recent protest which has taken place in Sikar-Jaipur, Rajasthan, put forward the demand that the ban on cattle trade must be squeezed down.

“It is clearly a double standard of the government to overcome the political setback,” he added.