NEW DELHI, May 31 (Xinhua) -- The high court in India's western state of Rajasthan on Wednesday recommended to the federal government that cow should be declared national animal and punishment for cow slaughter be increased from the current three years imprisonment to a life term.
"The court's judgment has come in a petition regarding management of cow shelter in Jaipur," a local official said.
Last year, 50,000 cows reportedly died at the government-run cow shelter in Jaipur due to alleged negligence.
The judgement has coincided with last week's Indian ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change's notification of new rules banning cow sale and purchase from any animal market for purposes of slaughter or religious sacrifice.
The vigilantism around cows seems to have intensified since 2014 - the year BJP ascended to power under the leadership of Narendra Modi.
Many states have actively started enforcing bans on cow slaughter.
Analysts say the ban slaughter of cattle is likely to hit farmers and subsequently the industries dependent on it.
