While sentencing the trio to life term imprisonment, a Gujarat court said life sentence cow mother of universe. (File photo)

A court in Gujarat’s Gandhinagar district has sentenced three persons to life imprisonment in a cow slaughter case after they were found in possession of 277 kg of beef, citing Hindu scriptures to underscore the religious significance of the cow.

In his judgment penned in Gujarati earlier this week, Additional Sessions Judge B R Rajput also imposed a fine of Rs 3 lakh each on the convicts, Vasim Qureshi, Mohammad Rafiq Qureshi, and Asfaq Bahelim. One of the accused persons, Lalabhai Senma, had died during the pendency of the trial. Two others were acquitted in the case. The convicts were punished under the provisions of the Gujarat Animal Preservation (Amendment) Act, 2017 and Gujarat Animal Preservation Act, 1954.

“The cow is considered equivalent to the mother of the universe. It is useful for human life and society.…