Five men in UP get 7-yr jail term for cruelty to animals

A local court in Shamli district sentenced five men to seven years of rigorous imprisonment for animal cruelty. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on each of them.

The accused men - Mohd Sajid, Tabish, Javed, Shuaib and Kamil - were caught with a truck filled with 18 cows in which three calves were found dead after the others crushed them. The accused were also charged with "attempted murder" after they allegedly tried to run over police personnel with a vehicle.

But the court cancelled the indictment due to a lack of evidence.

District government advocate Sanjay Chouhan said, "The case dates back to January 22, 2016 in Kairana town of Shamli district. They were booked under the Animal Protection Act and for 'attempt to murder'. This case was heard in another district. Judge (ADJ) Shamli Court'.

Superintendent of Police (SP), Shamli, Abhishek said, “All the accused were acquitted under IPC sections 279 (impaired driving or driving on a public road), 427 (mischief causing damage to the extent of Rs 50), 307 (attempt to murder) and 149 (each member of an unlawful assembly guilty of an offence committed in the prosecution of a common cause).