Bar and Bench suffer meltdown over Gujarat court citing Manusmriti and Vedas while awarding life sentences to three Muslims for cow slaughter: Here’s why the statutory maximum in the Kalol case does n

What happened: A Gujarat sessions court cited the Manusmriti, Rig Veda and Harivamsa Purana while sentencing three Muslim men to life imprisonment in a 2024 cow slaughter case. Bar and Bench published a critical article on the ruling, and this opindia piece disputes that framing. Key numbers: 277 kilograms of beef recovered in a raid on a village house in Jamla. Why it matters: The article argues the life sentence falls within the statutory range and that Bar and Bench conflated the statutory maximum with enforcement of a theological code, while downplaying the offence.

A Gujarat sessions court cited the Manusmriti, Rig Veda and Harivamsa Purana while sentencing three Muslim men to life imprisonment in a 2024 cow slaughter case. Bar and Bench published a critical article on the ruling, and this opindia piece disputes that framing.

The article argues the life sentence falls within the statutory range and that Bar and Bench conflated the statutory maximum with enforcement of a theological code, while downplaying the offence.