Beef

There is no single national beef ban in India, but in most of the country killing a cow is illegal. Under India’s Constitution, cattle slaughter is a state subject, so each state writes its own law. The result is a patchwork: some states ban the slaughter of all cattle and punish anyone found with beef, while others allow beef to be sold and eaten openly.

What the Constitution says

Article 48 asks the state to work towards preserving cattle breeds and to take steps to prohibit the slaughter of cows, calves and other milch and draught animals. It is a Directive Principle, which means it guides lawmakers but cannot be enforced in court by itself. States turned it into law through their own cattle protection acts. The Supreme Court upheld these laws in 1958 in Mohd. Hanif Quareshi v. State of Bihar, and in 2005 it went further, upholding Gujarat’s total ban on slaughtering cows and their progeny, including bulls and bullocks.

Strict states and permissive states

According to the US Library of Congress, the toughest laws are in the north, centre and west, while southern and northeastern states tend to be more relaxed. Gujarat, Maharashtra, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh ban cow slaughter completely, and Maharashtra extended its law to bulls and bullocks in 2015. At the other end, Kerala and most northeastern states such as Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland have no ban, and West Bengal allows old or unfit cattle to be slaughtered with a certificate.

The export paradox

Despite the bans, India is one of the world’s largest exporters of bovine meat. Almost all of it is buffalo meat, often sold as carabeef, which most state laws do not protect in the same way as cows.

What visitors should know

Beef on a menu in Goa or Kerala does not mean it is legal everywhere. In strict states, carrying or possessing beef can itself be a crime, and the issue is politically sensitive. Check the rules of the state you are in. For other food rules shaped by religion, see Saudi Arabia’s ban on pork, browse the food and drink bans we track, or go back to the India page.