The Karnataka Assembly on Wednesday passed a bill making slaughter of any form of cattle an offence punishable with up to seven years in prison.

The ruling BJP pushed through the Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Bill, 2020, without proper debate in the Assembly amid protests from Congress and Janata Dal Secular members.

The bill was passed through voice vote amid chants of ‘Bharat Mata ki jai’ and “Vande Mataram” from the ruling benches. It will now travel to the Legislative Council for its approval, most probably on Thursday before the four-day winter session concludes.

While the government was expected to table the bill, the Opposition was taken by surprise when it was taken for voice vote without a proper discussion.

An angry leader of the Opposition, P.C. Siddaramaiah of the Congress, told the House that his party would be boycotting the rest of the brief winter session set to conclude on Thursday.

The new law that will replace the Karnataka Prevention of Cow Slaughter and Cattle Preservation Act, 1964, has broadened the definition of the “cow” to cover all forms of cattle — male and female.

Section 4 of the new law prohibits slaughter of any cattle — cow or buffalo — even for traditional customs.

While the Karnataka Prevention of Cow Slaughter and Cattle Preservation Act, 1964, had also banned slaughter of cows, she-buffalos and calves, it permitted the slaughter of bulls and he-buffaloes above the age of 12 and certified unfit for breeding or agriculture use.

The new law provides for jail terms between three and seven years, penalty of Rs 50,000 to Rs 5 lakh, or both, for the first offence. Those booked for a second offence could be jailed for up to seven years, slapped with a fine between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 10 lakh, or both.

In contrast, the law that would be replaced soon provides for jail term of up to six months and fines of up to Rs 1,000, or both.

While a large number of slaughter animals are transported to neighbouring Kerala and Goa, the new law will limit all such movement to only for the purpose of animal husbandry and agriculture, that too after going through a certification process.

Opposition lawmakers led by Siddaramaiah trooped into the Well of the House, shouting slogans against the government, soon after animal husbandry minister Prabhu Chavan tabled the bill in the afternoon. They slammed the government for tabling a bill that was not discussed in the business advisory committee meeting held on Tuesday.