The accused were caught while processing a massive cache of 277 kilogram of beef. While quoting the Manusmriti, an ancient Sanskrit text, the court observed that the cow is not merely an animal but is highly regarded as a pillar of material prosperity and ‘dharma’ (righteousness). A Gandhinagar court cited the Vedas and Manusmriti to sentence three Muslim men to life imprisonment for cow slaughter, while in Madhya Pradesh's Damoh,.