Milk seller booked for not providing fodder to cattle being transported

S Shyam Prasad | NT

Bengaluru: A milk seller from Uttara Kannada district has been booked for allegedly not providing fodder and water to the cattle, while they were being transported. He was booked by the Sirsi Town Police under Section 11(1) (d) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and Sections 5, 7 and 12 of the Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Act apart from some sections of the Motor Vehicles Act.

The High Court of Karnataka has however granted bail to the milk seller Venkatesh Panduranga Udadangi in the case. The alleged incident took place on August 24, 2022. The police are said to have received information about the transportation of cattle illegally. They stopped the vehicle at Nilekani Cross and found that the “driver of the vehicle was transporting the cattle without arranging for the safety of the cattle subjecting them to cruelty.”

Venkatesh Panduranga, the milk seller, had purchased the cattle from the other accused in the case and transporting them. He was made the second accused in the case. The case is now pending before the Additional District and Sessions Judge, Karwar. His plea for bail was rejected by the Sessions judge and therefore he approached the HC.

His case was heard by Justice Shivashankar Amarannavar. Venkatesh’s advocate submitted to the HC that he had obtained an Animal Transportation certificate from the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services for transporting the four cattle from Devimane in Sirsi taluk to Hosakpppa Kuppagaddi in the same taluk.

The Government advocate opposed the bail plea on ground that “petitioner and other accused have not made any safety for the cattle while transporting nor made arrangement for water and fodder to the cattle being transported in the vehicle. If the petitioner is granted anticipatory bail, he will hamper the investigation and tamper the prosecution witness.”

The HC said in its judgment, “Whether this petitioner has committed the alleged offences is a matter of investigation and final report. The petitioner is ready to cooperate with the police in the investigation. The offences alleged against the petitioner are not punishable with death or imprisonment for life.”

The court said the apprehension of the prosecution about tampering of witness can be met by imposing stringent conditions on the bail. The bail was granted to Venkatesh on a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh. He was also directed to mark his presence in the jurisdictional police station every Sunday for two months.