A sessions court judge in Gujarat's Tapi district has said that there is a need to protect cows in the country, saying "science has proved houses made of cow dung remain unaffected by atomic radiation." Also, cow urine can cure many incurable diseases, Tapi district sessions judge Samir Vyas said in November last year while sentencing a 22-year-old man to life imprisonment for transporting cows and bullocks from Gujarat to Maharashtra. The order was made available recently. It showed that the judge made several remarks on cows and cow dung and urine which are not based on any scientific evidence.
The judge in his order expressed displeasure over the slaughtering of cows and noted a cow is "our mother", not just an animal. "All problems of the Earth will be solved the day no drop of cow's blood drops on the earth. Though we talk about cow protection, it is not implemented on the ground. Incidents of cow slaughter and illegal transportation are happening regularly. This is a disgrace to a civilised society," the court noted in the order.
The judge said though 75 years have passed since India achieved independence, incidents of cow slaughter are on the rise instead of coming down. "Cow is a symbol of religion. Food grown through cow-based organic farming protects us from many diseases. Science has proved that houses made of cow dung remain unaffected by atomic radiation and cow urine can cure many incurable diseases," he said.
In February 2020, scores of scientists had written to the Union government asking to withdraw its call for proposals for research into the use of cow products including urine and dung in making products such as toothpastes and shampoos, as well as cures for diseases like cancer and diabetes. The scientists had said that the government’s initiative would severely undermine the credibility of the Indian scientific establishment, as it “presumes the efficacies” of various cow products.
Samir Vyas even said cows are in danger because the bovine is being slaughtered in "mechanised slaughterhouses" today and claimed that beef is served along with meat to non-vegetarian people. He also cited some Sanskrit shlokas and said "religion is born out of cow" because religion is in the form of a 'vrishabha' (bull), which is the son of a cow. It is painful that cows are being illegally transported and slaughtered, so much so that 75% of the bovine population in India has vanished, claimed the judge.
In August 2020, the Tapi police arrested Mohammad Aamin Anjum, a resident of Maharashtra's Malegaon town, for allegedly trying to transport 16 cows and bullocks in a truck to Gujarat. When the police intercepted the truck, a cow and a bullock were already dead as there was not enough space or food in the vehicle for the cattle. Anjum had fled the spot after abandoning his truck, but he was later nabbed. After a trial, the sessions court found him guilty under relevant sections of the Gujarat Animal Preservation Act, 2011, Gujarat Animal Preservation (Amendment) Act, 2017, and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.
In 2017, the state government introduced a stringent anti-cow slaughter law in the form of the Gujarat Animal Preservation (Amendment) Act, 2017, which has the provision for a life term for anyone found guilty of cow slaughter or having any direct involvement in such an act. The court sentenced the accused to life imprisonment under the amended Act and also imposed a fine of Rs 5 lakh on him.