In India, animal cruelty is addressed under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, and the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. These laws prohibit harming, killing, or inflicting suffering on animals. Violations can lead to fines, imprisonment, or both. Stricter amendments are underway to enhance penalties for severe offenses.
Animal cruelty is a big issue in India, and it has been like that for quite a while. But the thing is, even with many laws in place, there are a lot of ways people do cruelty and animal abuse in India. But still, just for the sake of it, let’s go over the specific laws against animal cruelty in India, and what are the things or rules mentioned under them. After all, these laws are meant to keep animal abuse and animal cruelty at the bare minimum.
What Are Specific Constitutional Provisions for Animal Protection?
It is a 100% true that India’s Constitution contains provisions that are aimed directly at protecting wildlife. The first of many provisions is the article of the constitution which is article 51A(g) which lays down how the Indian people should be compassionate towards all living beings. This means that citizens of India must not only take care of the animals but also see that the well-being of the animals is ensured.
The Directive Principles of the state policy which are the government environmental policies of a nation have a super important role in government conducting policies in favor of animals and should be mentioned as well. For example, Article 48A, which is part of the Directive Principles of State Policy, instructs the government to take measures to protect and improve the environment as well as the flora and fauna. Although these provisions cannot be enforced directly in courts, they can still steer legislative activity for the protection of animals and be the basis for animal-friendly policies in the country as a whole. And then there are a few rules in Article 21, which show how to go about not damaging the environment or ecosystems in which animals live.
And What Does The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 Say?
Legislation designed to deal with cruelty to animals in India is this one, which is known as the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. This Act, which is the basis of the prevention of cruelty to animals in India, is meant to prevent unnecessary pain or suffering to any animal in the country. Under this Act, the term “animal” includes any living being other than humans. And just so you know, it lays down actions deemed as cruelty by society, for example, hitting, kicking, or overloading animals. It also condemns the practice of keeping animals in tight enclosures, using unfit animals for labor work, and unjustly abandoning the animals.
And who do you think enforce all these rules and regulations mentioned under this specific law? Well, yes, it is the Animal Welfare Board of India.
However, the Act allowed certain practices that seemingly are cruel, such as the castration of cattle or euthanizing stray dogs, but these procedures should be carried out correctly. Also, a particular provision of the Act allows the slaughtering of animals according to certain religious customs. So yes, there are a lot of gray areas even with this law in place.
