The amendment would have allowed vehicles seized for alleged illegal cattle transport to be released on furnishing an indemnity bond instead of a bank guarantee.
Published Dec 17, 2025 | 3:15 PM ⚊ Updated Dec 17, 2025 | 3:15 PM
Karnataka Animal Husbandry Minister K Venkatesh said the amendment will not be introduced during the winter session.
Synopsis: The amendment was listed in the agenda of the session last week. The government, apparently, decided against tabling it during the ongoing session, scheduled to conclude on Friday, 19 December, fearing a controversy or Opposition backlash.
The Congress government in Karnataka has decided against tabling a proposal to amend the Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Act, 2020, during the state Assembly’s ongoing winter session in Belagavi.
The Act that imposed a blanket ban on cow slaughter was introduced by the BJP government under BS Yediyurappa in 2020, amid strong opposition from the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular).
The Congress, during the 2023 Assembly election campaign, had promised to repeal the Act if it was voted to power. After winning power, the government, however, proposed only a minor amendment.
On 4 December, the state Cabinet approved the amendment, which would have allowed vehicles seized for alleged illegal cattle transport to be released on furnishing an indemnity bond instead of a bank guarantee.
The aim was to address the difficulties faced by farmers in securing a bank guarantee for getting their vehicles released. The government had earlier planned to table the amendment during the ongoing winter session of the state legislature.
However, Karnataka Animal Husbandry Minister K Venkatesh on Wednesday, 17 December, told South First that the amendment will not be introduced. However, he did not offer any reason for withholding the amendment.
The BJP-era Act prohibits the sale, purchase, intrastate and interstate transport, slaughter, and trade of all cattle (cows, bulls, buffaloes, oxen). Buffaloes above the age of 13 and terminally ill cattle are exempted, if certified by a veterinarian.
The punishment for non-compliance is imprisonment for up to seven years, with a fine ranging between ₹50,000 and ₹5 lakh for the first time, and penalties ranging between ₹1 lakh and ₹10 lakh for repeating the same offence.
The Karnataka High Court had, on 27 October 2022, allowed the release of a confiscated vehicle on an indemnity bond. The government said it proposed the amendment in line with the court order, and in the interest of vehicle owners.
However, soon after the amendment was approved, right-wing groups, including the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and the Bajrang Dal, took out protests across the state.
Earlier this month, VHP leader and Prantha Goraksha Pramukh KR Sunil alleged in Udupi that the government was attempting to “show sympathy to cattle lifters”.
During a protest in Mangaluru, right-wing groups also claimed that illegal cattle smuggling and slaughter continued in certain parts of the state due to lapses in implementing the Act.
The amendment was listed in the agenda of the session last week. The government, apparently, decided against tabling it during the ongoing session, scheduled to conclude on Friday, 19 December, fearing a controversy or Opposition backlash.
The state government has already been facing heat from the BJP over its Karnataka Hate Speech and Hate Crimes (Prevention) Bill, 2025, which the latter claimed was aimed at snatching the freedom of expression, especially of political opponents.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
