A Gujarat court sentenced a man to six months in prison for allowing his cattle to run loose and causing chaos. The man, Prakash Jairam Desai, was found guilty of allowing his cows to roam the streets, endangering people’s lives.
Saranga Vyas, an additional sessions judge, also sentenced him to two years in prison for threatening a team from the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation’s cattle nuisance control department (CNCD). The team was on their way to impound stray cattle.
Prakash Jairam Desai, a Shahpur resident, was arrested in July 2019 after a CNCD team discovered five animals near Shantipur Chhapra, just outside Shahpur Darwaja. Desai mistreated the team members and even threatened to have them arrested by anti-corruption bureau officials.
The man has been charged with violating sections 308, 186, and 506(2) of the IPC, as well as the Gujarat Police Act and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. The court noted in its decision that two panch witnesses, who are also Desai, did not support the prosecution’s case.
Members of the CNCD team, on the other hand, testified against him. The court ruled that because no one was injured, IPC section 308 would not apply in this case. However, the court found him guilty of allowing his cows to roam freely on public roads without making proper arrangements, putting people’s lives in danger.
On October 18, the Gujarat High Court ruled that the state government’s efforts to address the issue of stray cattle had largely remained on paper, with no action taken on the ground. The court directed the authorities to carry out the orders issued by the Gujarat High Court in a similar case via PIL.