By TNN
Ahmedabad: A city sessions court here on Tuesday sentenced a meat shop owner to seven years in jail and imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on him for possessing beef, which is prohibited in the state under the Gujarat Animal Preservation Act.
Mohammed Imran Qureshi, 33, who was sentenced, runs a mutton shop in Gomtipur. On March 3, 2019, 13kg of beef was recovered from his shop during a police raid.
Police had also charged one Shabbir Hussain Qureshi along with Imran for the same offence. The prosecution claimed that Imran bought 15kg of beef from Shabbir at the Mirzapur mutton market to be sold at his shop in Gomtipur. By the time the cops raided Imran’s shop, he had already sold 2kg to a customer. The cops seized the remaining 13kg of beef found in his shop.
During the trial, additional public prosecutor Bhavesh Patel examined six witnesses and presented eight documents to prove Imran’s guilt.
The court did not find any evidence against Shabbir, who was later acquitted. The six witnesses included two members of the raiding party — PSI Sumaiya Raish and ASI Mahendra Asari, the investigator, an FSL expert and two punch witnesses. The court relied mainly on oral evidence and the FSL report, which confirmed that the seized material was cow beef.
On the quantum of punishment, the accused’s counsel sought leniency while the prosecution demanded exemplary punishment. The law prescribes maximum imprisonment of up to 10 years and a minimum of seven years in such a case.
This story was originally published in timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Read the full story here.