In a remarkable decision made by Madras high court on Monday, the Tamil Nadu Curriculum Frameworks committee has been asked to incorporate a subject on animal welfare which will instil compassion among students.

The court comprising Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice M. Sundar passed the direction, in response to the petition filed by an animal welfare organisation, People For Cattle in India (PFCI), last week.

The judgment had come at an apt time, when the state government had proposed to upgrade the syllabus at the earliest. Arun Prasanna, founder of PFCI and the petitioner said, “If the subject is not included now, it may not be a part of curriculum for another ten years. The rise in the number of incidences of cruelties against animals in the country is due to the fact that there is an ignorance of all the laws that protect animal welfare.”

In his petition, Arun had also quoted various research studies, which prove that children abusing animals turn violent criminals as they grow.

Since the 1970s, research has consistently reported childhood cruelty to animals as the first warning sign of later delinquency, violence, and criminal behaviour.  In fact, nearly all violent crime perpetrators have a history of animal cruelty in their profiles,” mentioned Psychology Today.

Academicians and animal welfare activists applaud the judgment, as they hope the move would reduce the cases of abuse and harm against animals.

Source: Deccan Chronicle