Chhattisgarh HC upholds conviction but reduces jail time for five men in a decade-old cattle smuggling case, increasing fines instead

News Citation : 2026 LN (HC) 246 | 2026:CGHC:16546

April 10, 2026 : In a recent judgment, the High Court of Chhattisgarh has opted to modify the sentences of five men convicted of illegal cattle transportation, balancing the scales of justice with the passage of a decade since the original offense. Justice Sanjay Kumar Jaiswal upheld the conviction of the accused under the Chhattisgarh Agricultural Cattle Preservation Act, 2004, but ruled that returning them to prison after so many years would not serve the interests of justice.

The case dates back to the early hours of June 27, 2016, when police acting on a tip-off intercepted a convoy at Jalpur Mod. Authorities discovered 32 cattle cramped inside a truck container covered with tarpaulins, headed toward the Odisha border. A Bolero vehicle was found piloting the truck, carrying four of the defendants. When prompted by officials, the group failed to produce any valid documentation for the transport of the animals.

While the trial court and the subsequent appellate court both found the men guilty sentencing them to one year of rigorous imprisonment the High Court took a different view on the punishment. During the revision hearings, the defense highlighted that the defendants, who were in their early twenties at the time of the incident, have since built lives and are now the primary providers for their families.

Justice Jaiswal noted that the prosecution successfully proved the illegal transport of cattle across state lines, and under the specific provisions of the 2004 Act, the burden of proof lay with the defendants to show the transport was not for the purpose of slaughter a burden they failed to meet. However, the Court acknowledged their clean records since the incident and their varying social and economic backgrounds.

Ultimately, the High Court reduced the prison sentence to the time already served by the defendants, which ranged from approximately two to nearly three months. To maintain the gravity of the offense, the Court significantly increased the individual fines from 1,000 to 10,000. The defendants have been given 60 days to deposit the increased amount or face additional imprisonment.

Case Reference : CRR No. 752 of 2017 & 784 of 2017