In Brief
A truck owner was acquitted of charges under the M.P. Prohibition of Cow Slaughter Act, 2004 for allegedly transporting cattle for slaughter, yet the District Magistrate still ordered confiscation of his vehicle. The Supreme Court held that when criminal proceedings end in acquittal based on lack of evidence, the confiscation order cannot stand. Although confiscation and criminal proceedings are technically separate, once acquittal is recorded, the Magistrate must consider that judgment. Confiscating property of an acquitted person violates Article 300A and amounts to arbitrary deprivation. The Court allowed the appeal and set aside the confiscation order.
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