THE U. P. PREVENTION OF COW SLAUGHTER ACT, 1955

English — official source version

1of1956english.pdf.txt

  

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 THE U. P. PREVENTION OF COW SLAUGHTER ACT, 19551 

[ U. P. ACT No. I of 1956 ] 

Amended by 

U.P. Act No. XXXIII of 1958 

U.P. Act No. XVII of 1961 

U.P. Act No. XXIII of 1961 

U.P. Act No. XXIV of 1979 

U.P. Act No. XIV of 2002 

U.P. Act No. 20 of 2020 

 [Passed in Hindi by the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly 

on September 8, 1955 and by the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council 

on September 21, 1955. 

Received the assent of President on December 30, 1955, 

under Article 201 of the Constitution of India and was published in 

the Uttar Pradesh Gazette, Extraordinary, dated January 6, 1956.] 

 AN 

ACT 

to prohibit and prevent the slaughter of cow and its 

progeny in Uttar Pradesh. 

Whereas it is expedient to prohibit and prevent the 

slaughter of cow and its progeny in Uttar Pradesh; 

It is hereby enacted in the sixth year of the Republic of 

India as follows :   

Short title, 

extent and  
commencement  

1. (1) This Act may be called the Uttar Pradesh Prevention of 

Cow Slaughter Act, 1955. 

(2) It extends to the whole of Uttar Pradesh.  

 (3) It shall come into force at once. 

Definitions  2. In this Act unless there is anything repugnant in the subject 

or context :  

 2[(a) ‘beef’ means flesh of cow but does not include such flesh 

contained in sealed containers and imported as such into Uttar 

Pradesh.] 

 (b) ‘‘cow’’ includes a 3[* * *] heifer or calf; 

 2[(c) ‘‘Goshala’’ means a Goshala registered under the Uttar 

Pradesh Goshala Adhiniyam, 1964; 

 (cc) ‘‘Institution’’ means an institution established under  

section 6;] 

—————————————————————————————————————————— 
1. For S.O.R. see U.P. Gazette, Extraordinary, dated March 30, 1955. 

2. Subs. by sec. 2 of U.P. Act No. 14 of 2002. 

3. Del. by sec. 2(ii) of U.P. Act No. XXXIII of 1958. 



[The U.P. Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act, 1955]  

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(d) ‘‘slaughter’’ means killing by any method whatsoever and 

include maiming and inflicting of physical injury which is the ordinary 

course will  cause death ; 

 (e) ‘‘State Government’’ means the Government of Uttar Pradesh; 

and 

 (f) 1[* * *] 

Prohibition of 
Cow Slaughter 

2[3. No person shall slaughter or cause to be slaughtered, or 

offer or cause to be offered for slaughter, a cow, bull or bullock in any 

place, in Uttar Pradesh, anything contained in any other law for the 

time being in force or any usage or custom, to the contrary 

notwithstanding.] 

Ommission of 
section 4 

34. [* * *] 

Prohibition on 
sale of beef 

5.  Except as herein excepted and notwithstanding anything 

contained in any other law for the time being in force, no person shall 

sell or transport or offer for sale or transport or cause to be sold or 

transported beef or beef products in any form except for such medicinal 

purposes as may be prescribed. 

 Exception–A person may sell and serve or cause to be sold and 

served beaf or beaf-products for consumption by a bonafide passenger 

in an air-craft or railway train. 

Regulation on 
on transport of 
cow, etc. 

4[5A. (1) No person shall transport or offer for transport or cause 

to be transported any cow, or bull or bullock, the slaughter whereof in 

any place in Uttar Pradesh is punishable under this Act from any place 

within the State to any place outside the State, except under a permit 

issued by an officer authorized by the State Government in this behalf 

by notified order and except in accordance with the terms and 

conditions of such permit. 

 (2) Such officer shall issue the permit on payment of such fee 

not exceeding 5[five hundred rupees] for every cow, bull or bullock as 

may be prescribed : 

 Provided that no fee shall be chargeable where the permit is for 

transport of the cow, bull or bullock for a limited period not exceeding 

six months as may be specified in the permit. 

 (3) Where the person transporting a cow, bull or bullock on a 

permit for a limited period does not bring back such cow, bull or 

bullock into the State within the period specified in the permit, he shall 

be deemed to have contravened the provision of sub-section (1). 

 

—————————————————————————————————————————— 
1. Omit. by sec. 2 of U.P. Act No. 14 of 2002. 

2. Subs. by sec. 3 of U.P. Act No. 14 of 2002 

3. Omit. by sec. 4 of U.P. Act No. 14 of 2002. 

4. Ins. by sec.  2 of U.P. Act No. 24 of 1979. 

5. Subs. by sec. 5 of the U.P. Act No. 14 of 2002. 



[The U.P. Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act, 1955] 

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 (4) The form of permit, the form of application therefor and the 

procedure for disposal of such application shall be such as may be 

prescribed. 

 (5) The State Government or any officer authorized by it in this 

behalf by general or special notified order, may, at any time for the purpose 

of satisfying itself or himself, as to the legality or propriety of the action 

taken under this section, call for and examine the recored of any case and 

pass such orders thereon as it or he may deem fit.] 

 1(6) Where the said conveyance has been confirmed to be related to 

beef by the competent authority or authorised labarotary under this act, 

the driver, operator and owner related to transport, shall be charged with 

the offence under this act, unless it is not prooved that transport medium 

used in crime, despite all its precautions and without its knowledge, has 

been used by some other person for causing the offence. 

 (7) The vehicle by which the beef or cow and its progeny is 

transported in violation of the provisions of this Act and the relevant rules, 

shall be confiscated and seized by the law enforcement officers. The 

concerned District Magistrate/Commissioner of Police will do proceedings 

of the confiscation and released, as the case may be.  

 (8) The cow and its progeny or the beef transported by the seized 

vehicle shall also be confiscated and seized by the Law Enforcement Officer. 

The concerned District Magistrate/Commisioner  will do all proceedings of 

the confiscated and release as the case may be.  

 (9) The expenditure on the maintenance of the seized cows and its 

progeny shall be recovered from the accused for a period of one year or till 

to release of the cow andi ts progeny in favour of the owner thereof 

whichever is earlier. 

 (10) Where a person is prosecuted for committing abetting, or 

attempting to an offence under section 3, 5 and 8 of this Act and the beef 

or cow-remains in the possesion of the accused has been prooved by the 

prosecution and transported things are confirmed to be beef by the 

competent authority or authorized labarotary, then the court shall presume 

that such person has committed such offence or attempt or abettment of 

such offence, as the case may be, unless the contrary is proved. 

 (11) Where the provision of this act or the related rules in context of 

search, acquisition, disposal and seizure are silent, the relevant provisions 

of the code of criminal procedure, 1973 shall be effective thereto.  

 2 [5B.  Whoever causes any physically injury to any cow or its 

progeny so as to endanger the life thereof such as to mutilate its body or to 

transport it in any situation whereby endangering the life thereof or with 

the intention of endangering the life thereof does not provide with food or 

water shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which shall not be 

less than 1 year and which may extend to 7 year and with fine which shall 

not be less than one lakh rupees and which may extend to three lakh 

rupees. 

Establishment 
of institutions 

3[6. There shall be established by the State Government or by any 

local authority wherever so directed by the State Government, or by a 

society registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 with prior 

permission of the State Government under such terms and conditions as 

may be prescribed, institutions as may be necessary for taking case of 

cows, bulls or bullocks.] 

—————————————————————————————————————————— 
1. Ins. by sec. 2  of U.P. Act No. 20 of 2020. 
2. Ins. by sec.  3 of U.P. Act No. 20 of 2020. 

3. Subs. by sec. 6  of U.P. Act No. 14 of 2002. 



[The U.P. Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act, 1955] 

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Maintenance of 

cows, etc. 

1[7. Any person may surrender his cow, bull or bullock to a Goshala 

or an institution which shall aceept such cow, bull or bullock according to 

the availability of accommodation. Any cow, bull or bullock so surrendered 

shall not be returned to such person. 

 (2) The State Government may make such other alternative and 

additional arrangements for taking care of such cows, bulls or bullocks as 

it may deem necessary. 

 (3) Any Goshala or any institution may receive any cow, bull or 

bullock for custody from police or any other person which may be released 

to the owner on such terms and conditions and in such manner and on 

payment of such charges as may be prescribed.] 

 2 [7(A). (1) Notwithstanding anything contained in the code of 

criminal procedure, 1973, no person charged with a criminal offence under 

this act or any rules made thereunder, violent custody, shall be released on 

bail or on his own bond unless,– 

 (a) the Special Public Prosecutor is given an opportunity to oppose 

the application to such release and 

 (b) Where the Special Public Prosecutor opposes the application, the 

court is convinced that there is a reasonable basis for beliefing that he is 

not guilty of such an offence that it is unlikely to commit any offence while 

on bail. 

 (2) The restrictions regarding grant of bail under sub-section (1) shall 

be in addition to the restriction under the code of criminal procedure 1973. 

 (3) Under the provision of this act every prosecutor of the State 

Prosecution Service, who has been engaged in the prosecution work for 7 

years by whatever name it is known, shall be deemed to be a Special Public 

Prosecutor. 

Penalty  3[8. (1) Whoever contravenes or attempts to contravene or abetts 

the contravention of the provisions of section 3, 5 or section 5(a) shall be 

guilty of an offence punishable with rigorous imprisonment for a term 

which shall not be less than three years and which may be extend to 10 

years and with fine which shall not be less than 3 lakh rupees and which 

may extend to 5 lakh rupees.  

 (2) Whoever after conviction of an offence under this act is again 

guilty of an offence under this act shall be punished with double the 

punishment provided for the said offence for the second conviction. 

 (3) The names and the photographs of the person accused of the 

contravention of the provision of section 5(a) shall be published at some 

prominent place in locality where accused ordinarily resides or to a public 

place, if he concealed himself from the law enforcement officers.] 

 

—————————————————————————————————————————— 
1. Subs. by sec. 7  of U.P. Act No. 14 of 2002. 
2. Ins. by sec. 4  of U.P. Act No. 20 of 2020. 
3. Subs. by sec. 5  of U.P. Act No. 20 of 2020. 



[The U.P. Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act, 1955] 

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Offences to be 

cognizable and 

nonbailable 

1[9. Notwithstanding anything contained in the Code of Criminal 

Procedure, 1973, an offence punishable under section 5(b) and sub-section 

1  of section 8 shall be cognizable and non-bailable.] 

Power to make 

rules 

10. (1) The State Government may make rules for the purpose of 

carrying into effect the provisions of this Act. 

 (2) Without prejudice to the generality of foregoing powers, such 

rules may provide for— 

 2[(a) * * *] 

 2[(aa) * * *] 

 2[(b) * * *] 

 2[(c) * * *] 

 3[(d) the procedure for surrender, acceptance custody and release of 

cows, bulls or bullocks; 

 (dd) the terms and conditions of release of cows, bulls or bullocks.] 

 (e) the matters relating to the establishment, maintenance, 

management, supervision and control of institutions referred to in section 6; 

 (f) the duties of any office or authority having jurisdiction under 

this Act, the procedure to be followed by such office or authority; and 

 (g) the matters which are to be and may be prescribed. 

 

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—————————————————————————————————————————— 
1. Subs. by sec. 6  of U.P. Act No. 20 of 2020. 
2. Omit. by sec. 9(a) of U.P. Act No. 14 of 2002. 
3. Subs. by sec.  9(b) of U.P. Act No. 14 of 2002. 



 

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