Mercy For Animals India recently wrote to the honourable prime minister, requesting that the Draft Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Amendment) Bill 2022 be tabled in the monsoon session of Parliament, 2023.
The letter states that the bill is still pending despite recommendations of the Animal Welfare Board of India and over 140 members of Parliament. The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, enacted over six decades ago, served as a significant step in establishing the legal framework for protecting animals. But we must recognise that our society has evolved, and new challenges have emerged that require immediate attention and comprehensive amendments to the existing law.
The bill proposes to include ‘bestiality’ as a crime under the new category of ‘gruesome cruelty’. It also proposes to increase the meagre minimum fine of Rs 50 to Rs 50,000, which may be imposed and may be increased to Rs 75,000.
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