Punishment For Animal Cruelty May Include Fine Upto 75,000 And Jail Term | Vegan First

In a progressive step for animal rights, the Indian government has proposed an amendment draft for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (1960), a 60-year-old law which states a fine ranging from Rs. 10 to Rs. 50 in cases of animal cruelty. The draft suggests a fine extending between Rs. 750 to Rs. 75,000 or thrice the cost of the animal, or up to a five-year jail term in offences of animal cruelty. The perpetrating organization or individual will be liable to both if the consequences of cruelty lead to the animal’s death.

The draft divides cruelty in three categories - minor injury, major injury causing permanent disability and an animal’s death caused by cruel acts. The existing law does not make any such categorizations and characterizes offences like beating, torturing, overloading, kicking, starving, overriding and mutilation as cruelty. An animal in the Act is defined as “any living creature other than a human being.”

The draft might also allow cases of animal cruelty to be made cognisable as well as provide state animal welfare boards a statutory status.

Animal rights organizations have been pressurizing the government for years to amend the law and raise the legal repercussions for animal cruelty. Currently, the legal procedures regarding cases of animal cruelty are drawn out and delayed. 316 animal cruelty cases across the country remain pending, including 64 cases in the Supreme Court and 38 cases in Delhi High Court.

“It’s a work in progress. The draft will be put out in the public domain, seeking comments from stakeholders, including the general public and experts. It will be finalized only after analyzing the comments,” an official source revealed.