Maharashtra to Bengal: States where cow slaughter is prohibited by law

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat called on the government to make laws to this effect

Prevention of cow slaughter took centre stage again on Sunday as Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat called for a nationwide ban on the killing of what many Hindus consider to be a holy animal, or even their "mother". 

Bhagwat called on the government to make laws to this effect. While he acknowledged that several states had stringent laws against cow slaughter, chiefly attributing them to dedicated RSS members running these state governments, he said that there was a need for a similar law for the entire country.  

While speaking at an event organised to mark the birth anniversary of Lord Mahavir in New Delhi, Bhagwat said: "Sampoorna Bharatvarsh me gauvansh hatya band ho, ye hamari ichchha hai (The killing of cows and its progeny should be banned across the entire country, that is our wish)."  

Bhagwat's remarks came two days after the Supreme Court asked the Centre and the governments of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Gujarat and Maharashtra to respond within three weeks on the issue of violence perpetrated across the country by gau rakshaks (cow protection vigilantes) in the name of cow protection. (Read more)

Furthermore, earlier this month, the Gujarat Assembly passed The Gujarat Preservation (Amendment) Bill that seeks to award life imprisonment to anyone found guilty of cow slaughter in the state. People found to be in possession of beef will be fined in the range of Rs 1 to 5 lakh, and imprisoned for seven to ten years. This has also been made a non-bailable offense. (Read more)

With regard to cow slaughter, under the Constitution, a state's legislature has the exclusive powers to legislate on such matters. According to the then Union Minister of State for Agriculture, Sudarshan Bhagat, 24 states and five Union Territories have cow slaughter laws. Only five states and one Union Territory do not have any law on cow slaughter. 

States and Union Territories which have some form of law preventing the slaughter of cows, cattle and milch animals  

1) Uttar Pradesh

2) West Bengal

3) Tamil Nadu

4) Rajasthan

5) Punjab

6) Puducherry

7) Odisha

8) Maharashtra

9) Manipur* 

10) Madhya Pradesh

11) Karnataka

12) Jammu and Kashmir

13) Andhra Pradesh

14) Assam

15) Bihar

16) Daman and Diu

17) Delhi

18) Goa

19) Gujarat

20) Haryana

21) Himachal Pradesh

22) Telangama

23) Chhattisgarh  

24) Jharkhand 

25) Andaman and Nicobar Island

26) Chandigarh

27) Dadra and Nagar Haveli

28) Sikkim 

29) Tripura

States and Union Territories which do not have any laws prohibiting cow slaughter

1) Kerala

2) Meghalaya

3) Nagaland

4) Mizoram 

5) Arunachal Pradesh

6) Lakshadweep