Godhra: A court in Halol has sentenced two persons to seven years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹1 lakh each for illegally transporting cattle to a slaughterhouse in Jambughoda taluka of Panchmahal district.

The Third Additional Sessions Judge, B.D. Parmar, delivered the verdict in connection with an incident reported on April 7, 2019.

According to the prosecution, police were on night patrol when they received information that one of the accused, Manhar Shanabhai, a resident of Dhankiya village in Jambughoda, was planning to load cattle in a ravine and transport them to a slaughterhouse in Godhra. Acting on the tip-off, police reached the spot, but the accused had fled.

During a search of the area, police found 15 cattle, including 10 cows and five bulls, tied with ropes in a cruel manner in the ravine. The animals were rescued, and subsequent investigation led to the arrest of Manhar Shanabhai and Shabbir alias Kabila Ishaq Mitha.

During the trial, the court considered the arguments presented by Special Public Prosecutor Jignesh Pathak before convicting both accused and awarding the sentence. DeshGujarat