Prevention to cruelty act

Subject: Acts

Context:

Supreme Court is looking for validity of a Kerala law that prohibits animal sacrifice for appeasement of deity in temples.

Concept:

• The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 prohibits any person from inflicting, causing, or if it is the owner, permitting, unnecessary pain or suffering to be inflicted on any animal.
• The Act makes it a crime to beat, kick, torture, mutilate, administer an injurious substance, or cruelly kill an animal.
• It is also illegal to over-ride, over-drive, over-load, or work an unfit animal.
• It is an offense to cruelly transport, confine, chain or tether an animal.
• It is a violation to engage in animal fighting or shooting competitions in which animals are released from captivity to be shot. An owner commits an offense if he or she fails to provide sufficient food, drink or shelter, unreasonably abandons any animal, or permits any diseased or disabled animal to roam or die in any street.
• According to Section 4 of this Act, an animal welfare board shall be established by the Central Government purporting to provide for animal welfare and extending protection against animals from unnecessary pain or suffering.
• According to Section 14 of this Act; nothing in this Act shall affect the experimentation (including operations) on animals for the purpose of: Advancement through the new discovery of physiological knowledge; or Knowledge which will be useful for decreasing the mortality rate; or Suffering alleviation; or for combating any disease.