Ahmedabad Court Sentences Three to Eight Years for Selling Beef
Ahmedabad: A city sessions court on Saturday sentenced three individuals to eight years of imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 2 lakh each after they were found guilty of selling beef. The court also acquitted two others who were accused of aiding the crime.
Case Details
According to the case details, Samir Sheikh, Zafarkhan Pathan, and Mohamed Azmal Sheikh were found selling beef in the Rakhial area on May 4, 2019. The police seized 250 kilograms of beef from them. Along with these three, two others — Kalam Hussain Qureshi and Zishan Qureshi — were also booked for aiding them in the crime. They were charged under the Gujarat Animal Preservation (Amendment) Act, the Gujarat Provincial Municipal Corporations (GPMC) Act, and relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Trial and Evidence
During the trial, additional public prosecutor Bhavesh Patel examined seven witnesses, including a forensic science laboratory (FSL) officer. The FSL officer testified that analysis of the meat samples confirmed the presence of beef. Based on this evidence, the court found Samir, Zafarkhan, and Mohamed Azmal guilty of possessing and selling beef. However, Kalam and Zishan, who were accused of transporting the beef stock in their vehicle, were acquitted due to lack of sufficient evidence against them.
Court's Sentencing Remarks
While delivering the sentence, the court observed, “Given the nature of the case and the fact that it is an anti-social offence, there is no question of granting the benefit of probation... On one hand, the law demands a strict penalty to discourage the illegal possession of beef and to respect the legislature’s intent to protect cow progeny. On the other hand, since the accused come from a poor and disadvantaged background, the court should avoid a punishment that is unnecessarily soul-crushing.”
The court further noted, “In the present case, the offence committed by the accused was not done in the heat of passion or under provocation; rather, they were found selling beef in their possession, having acted deliberately for financial gain. Being adults, they were well aware of the nature of their actions and the potential consequences.”
In addition to the prison term, each convict was ordered to pay a fine of Rs 2 lakh. The court also directed that the seized beef be destroyed as per legal procedure.
