TODAY'SPAPEROPINION

September7,2016

Beinghumantowardsanimals
PrashantBhushan

disturbingtrend:Thereisaneverendinglistofanimalabusecasesthathavecomeupjustintherecentpast.Bhadra,thedogwhowas
thrownoffaterraceinChennai,beingtreatedattheMadrasVeterinaryCollegeinChennai.Photo:K.V.S.Giri

Animalabusecontinuesunabatedaslawsagainstcrueltyremainobsolete
MahatmaGandhifamouslysaid,Thegreatnessofanationanditsmoralprogresscanbejudgedbythewayitsanimalsaretreated.Looking
atthedefunctlawsagainstanimalcrueltyinthecountry,itseemslikewehavefailedhim,andthenation,miserably.Thereisadisturbingand
neverendinglistofanimalabusecasesthathavecomeupjustintherecentpast:astraydogwasburntaliveinNizamuddinBastiinDelhi
anotherwastiedupandbeatenwithlathisinSector48inChandigarhpuppieswerestabbedintheGreenParkmetrostationinDelhi
puppieswereburntaliveinHyderabad.InChennai,avideothatshowedamanthrowingoffahaplessdogfromtheterraceofhisbuilding
wentviralandcausedalotofoutrage.Heandhiscompanionwerecaught,butshockinglygotbailwithinminutes.Thedog,Bhadra,issafe
andingoodhands.Butthelargermalaise,thatlawsagainstanimalcrueltyareobsolete,remains.
Valuingotherlives
ThemainlawpertainingtocrueltytoanimalsisthePreventionofCrueltytoAnimalsAct,1960(PCAAct),whichhasnotbeenamendedeven
oncesinceitsinceptiontokeepupwiththetimes.Themostglaringanomalyisthatpunishmentforkillinganystrayanimalisapaltryfineof
Rs.50andnojailterm.IfallanoffenderhastodoifhekillsastraydogispayRs.50andgoscotfree,thisbegsthequestion,howmuchdowe
valuelivesthatarenothuman?
Otherformsofcrueltyincludewhattakesplaceinthepetshopindustry,forinstance.Thisisaburgeoningindustry,worththousandsof
croresofrupees,andisespeciallyrampantinsmallertowns.Abuse,includingclippingthewingsofbirds,rippingoffwithplyerstheclawsof
cats,orcuttingoffthebeaksofbirdswithhotknives,isunchecked.Thereisforcibleincestuousmatingofpedigreedogssothattheirlooks
arekeptintact.Theresultofthismatingaredogsthathaveseveregeneticdeformitiesandthatdiewithcongenitalcomplications.Moreover,
itisnotjustanimalsbutevenhumanbeingswhoareatriskwhen,say,thesolidwastefromthesepetshopsisallowedtomixwithregular
municipalwaste,thuspollutinggroundwater.Deadanimalsaresometimesthrowningarbagebins.Suchpracticescanleadtothespreadof
deadlydiseaseslikebirdflu.AllthisisingrossviolationofArticle21therighttoacleananddiseasefreeenvironmentwithoutwhichno
societycaneversustainitselfletalonedevelop.
Threerules
Toregulatethesepractices,theAnimalWelfareBoardofIndia(astatutorybodyconstitutedunderthePCAActtoprotectanimalrights)
madeasetofthreerules:PetShopRules,2010DogBreeding,MarketingandSaleRules,2010andtheAquariumFishBreedingand
MarketingRules,2010.ThesewerethenplacedbeforetheMinistryofEnvironment,ForestandClimateChange(MoEF)in2010.However,
noactionhasbeentakenbytheMoEFyet.TheAWBIevenrequestedtheLawCommissionofIndiatolookintowhethertheMoEFis
authorisedunderthePCAActtonotifysuchrules.TheLawCommissioninits261streport(2015),underthechairpersonshipofJusticeA.P.
Shah,stated:Itappearsthattheprovisionsofthelawareviolatedwithimpunitybypetshopsandbreeders.Inthesecircumstances,the
CommissionrecommendsthattheCentralGovernmentmustseriouslytakecognisanceoftheissueandregulatethetradeinpetshops...and
theMoEFhasauthoritytomaketheserules.Itadded:TheCommissionrecommendsthattherulesbenotifiedandimplementedatthe
earliest.
AmendingthePCAAct
TheLawCommissionisnotabindingbody,buttherecommendationsandthegravityofthesehorrorsthatplayouteverydayinthepetshop
industrycannotjustbebrushedasidebytheMoEF.EventheSupremeCourtinitsfamousJallikattujudgment,AnimalWelfareBoardof
Indiavs.A.Nagaraja(2014),exhortedParliamenttoamendthePCAAct.Thecourtsaid:Parliamentisexpectedtomakeproper
amendmentofthePCAActtoprovideaneffectivedeterrenttoachievetheobjectandpurposeoftheActandforviolationofSection11,
adequatepenaltiesandpunishmentsshouldbeimposed.

Itdoesnotbehoveacivilisedsocietyandtheworldslargestdemocracytonothavelegalprotectionforthevoiceless,especiallygiventhe
extentofcrueltyperpetratedagainstthem.ItfliesinthefaceofourconstitutionaldutyunderArticle51A(g),whichenjoinsustohave
compassionforalllivingbeingsandnotjusthumans,toactimmediately.
PrashantBhushanisaPILactivistandcofounderofSwarajAbhiyan.SiddharthaK.GargisalawyerwhorunsAngelTrustNGOforstray
dogsinDelhi.
InhumanpracticesareinviolationofArticle21therighttoacleananddiseasefreeenvironmentwithoutwhichno
societycandevelop