NEW DELHI: Peacocks are celibate, don’t have sex, and the peahen gets babies by drinking the tears of its male partner, a high court judge in India said on Wednesday.

Explaining his judgement, in which he asked the Indian government to declare the cow a national animal, Justice Mahesh Chandra Sharma told CNN-News18: “Peacock is a Bramhachari and it does not have sex with a peahen. The peahen gets pregnant drinking the tears of the peacock. Even lord Krishna carried the feather of a peacock on his head.”

For these purported qualities the peacock was India’s national bird, a right that should now be given also to the cow, he argued.

Earlier in the day, Justice Sharma, who retired on Wednesday, recommended that the Modi government declare the cow the national animal and enhance the punishment for cow slaughter to life imprisonment.

In a slew of directions passed on a public interest litigation (PIL), the court asked the state chief secretary to take steps to get the suggestions implemented.

Explaining his verdict, he claimed that Nepal had dec­lared the cow the national animal, and India should follow suit as it is “only a call of the soul” and has nothing to do with secularism.

Justice Sharma said the cow should be given the status of a legal entity like that of the River Ganga and Yamuna, as accorded by the Uttarakhand High Court.

“Even Nepal had declared cow as the national animal. Uttarakhand HC has recently said that River Ganga and Yamuna should be declared as legal person. Similarly, cows should be given that status,” said Justice Sharma.

Published in Dawn, June 1st, 2017