Countless forms of cruelty are inflicted on animals of all kinds, all over the world. Animal Protection Index evaluates 50 countries based on their animal protection laws and welfare practices. This index was developed by the international group World Animal Protection. The index, the first of its type, assigns letter grades to countries ranging from A (the best) to G (the worst) (the lowest score).
India scored about where it should have on the Animal Protection Index 2022; however, this suggests that the country’s current animal welfare laws are quite weak compared to those of other countries, and that this inefficiency is a major factor in the increasing number of cases of animal abuse in India.
Law for animal cruelty in India
India has some of the world’s strictest animal protection regulations, including the Prevention of Animal Cruelty Act, 1960. In an effort to curb cruelty to animals, Parliament passed this Act on December 26, 1960.
The Act is primarily meant to achieve the following goals:
- The law protects animals from needless suffering.
- The powers, responsibilities, constitution, and terms of office of the Animal Protection Board of India are all set forth in the Act.
- The Act codifies the criteria for the use of animals in scientific research and grants authority to a committee to issue regulations in this area.
- The Act places limitations on the use of performing animals in shows and in their training. Separate definitions for “display” and “train” can be found in Section 21 of this Act.
Punishment and penalties
Owners of animals are required under Section 11(2) of PCA Act, 1960 to take reasonable precautions to prevent cruelty to their pets. They would be in violation of the law if they disregarded these responsibilities.
As stated in Section 11 of this Act, it is illegal to inflict unnecessary suffering on an animal. A maximum of 50 rupees per animal may be fined for the first offence. Any repeat offender within three years faces a maximum fine of 100 rupees and/or three months in jail, or both.
After a court orders the confiscation of a cruelly treated animal, the animal becomes state property. The court may also order the offender to give up all animals. A judge will decide the length of time a ban will be in effect.
Conclusion
Because of its antiquated nature and ineffectiveness in protecting animals from cruelty, the Protection of Animal Cruelty Act of 1960 should be updated. In the interest of science, animals used in experiments are excluded from cruelty regulations. Unchecked urban dairy systems are expanding quickly while having low welfare standards, an example of the lack of laws around the keeping of farm animals.
The current animal protection rules in India are woefully inadequate to prevent cruelty, having been enacted over fifty years ago with a maximum penalty of only 50 or 100 rupees.
As a result, the Indian government has to tighten up its animal protection regulations and make it such that those who abuse animals face severe penalties including jail time, hefty fines, and mandatory therapy sessions before being allowed to interact with animals again.
Santosh Kumar is a Professional SEO and Blogger, With the help of this blog he is trying to share top 10 lists, facts, entertainment news from India and all around the world.