Amendment to anti-cow slaughter law to be tabled in Karnataka Budget session

Bengaluru: The upcoming Budget session of the Karnataka Legislature commencing on March 6, is expected to witness the introduction and discussion of several significant Bills including an amendment to the politically-sensitive anti-cow slaughter bill.

An amendment to the Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Act, 2020, to allow vehicles, used for illegal transport of cattle, to be released on an indemnity bond is set to be introduced.

At present, the Act requires a bank guarantee to release the vehicles caught while illegally transporting cattle. A seized vehicle could be released only if the amount of the present value of the vehicle is deposited in the bank and a bank guarantee is issued.

The animal husbandry department noted that small vehicle owners would find it difficult to to get a bank guarantee paying around Rs 3 to 5 lakh.

The ruling Congress is amending the law following a High Court order (October 2022) to release the seized vehicles against an indemnity bond.

The previous BJP government had introduced the stringent 2020 Act, replacing a 1964 law. The old law allowed slaughter of bulls, bullocks and buffaloes aged over 12 years or if they were unfit for breeding or did not yield milk. The BJP government imposed a blanket ban on the slaughter of cows, allowing the slaughter of only terminally-ill cattle and buffaloes above 13 years with permission. The law prohibits transportation of any cattle within and to outside the state for slaughter.

Among the other major proposals is the Karnataka Crowd Control (Managing and Regulation of Events and Venues of Mass Gathering) Bill, 2025, aimed at regulating large public gatherings such as political rallies and festivals. The session will also see the introduction of the Karnataka Lokayukta (Amendment) Bill, 2026, to revise allowances and service conditions of the Lokayukta to bring them on par with senior members of the judiciary, Karnataka Jnana Bhandara Manuscripts and Digitisation Bill, 2026, which proposes conservation and digitisation of manuscripts, and the Karnataka Gram Swaraj and Panchayat Raj (Amendment) Bill, 2025 to strengthen transparency and secrecy in local body elections.

Additionally, some bills cleared by the state Cabinet are likely to be introduced in the session: Karnataka District Judiciary Reforms Bill, 2025 for reforms in district courts and Karnataka Police (Amendment) Bill, 2025.

Some legislative proposals cleared by the scrutiny committee and likely to be placed before the Cabinet prior to the session are: Karnataka Kutumba (Access and Management) Bill, 2025 to issue unique household identifiers for governance and planning, Freedom of Choice in Marriage & Anti-Honour Crimes Bill, 2026, for protection of individual rights and prevention of caste-based crimes, Domestic Workers (Social Security and Welfare) Bill, 2025, Mis-Information Regulation Bill, 2025, (Revised), Apartment Ownership (Regulation) Bill, 2025, to rationalise apartment governance laws, Rohith Vemula (Prevention of Exclusion or Injustice) Bill, 2025, on anti-discrimination and education rights, and State Civil Servants (Determination of Age) Bill, 2024, to curb age falsification by government employees.