There’s good news for all animals and animal lovers.The government has prepared a new draft amend the 60-year-old Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, proposing penalty up to Rs. 75000 or three times the cost of the animal with jail term up to five years or both if an act of an individual or an organisation leads to an animal’s death.

The draft has proposed offences in three categories - minor injury, major injury leading to permanent disability, and death to an animal due to cruel practice - and prescribed different penalties ranging from Rs. 750 to Rs. 75000 and jail term up to five years for different crimes.

The existing law stipulates a penalty between Rs. 10 and Rs. 50 for any act of cruelty such as beating, kicking, torturing, starving, overloading, overriding and mutilating an animal. It doesn’t have different categories of offences or cruelty. Animal in the Act is defined as any living creature other than a human being.

“It’s a work in progress. The draft will be put out in the public domain, seeking comments from stakeholders, including the general public and experts. It will be finalised only after analysing the comments.” a government official said.

This was a long awaited change in the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. The update is expected to bring smiles to a lot of faces be it humans or animals. Animals will finally get the justice they deserve!

Source: IndiaTimes