The Supreme Court on Thursday sought a response of the Centre on a PIL, seeking its intervention to address rising instances of barbaric cruelty against animals and inhuman exploitation in the pet shop industry.
A Bench of Justices Dipak Misra and Shiva Kirti Singh issued notice to the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change on the plea, which also sought guidelines regarding punishment for animal abuse and regulation of pet shop industry, contending that there was a vacuum in the law.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the petitioner NGO Angel Trust, said the Law Commission had given a detailed report regarding animals being treated with cruelty by pet shops and added that the government should notify rules prepared by the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), which has not been done by the Centre as of now.
He advocated that stringent punishment should be given for the offence of cruelty to animals. “The facts that lead to the cause of action for the present petition is the alarming rise of instances of barbaric animal cruelty and inhuman exploitation in pet shop industry, which occur due to a vacuum in law with respect to animal abuse and exploitation,” the PIL filed by NGO Angel Trust said.
“The reason for such a vacuum is that the main legislation for animal protection – The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 (PCA) – has not been amended since 1960 to keep up with the times and even today the only punishment for dastardly acts is mere Rs 50 fine and no jail term,” it said.
The plea further said that the perpetrators know that due to the “toothless legislation and lackadaisical enforcement”, they will go scot-free, and hence, commit heinous crimes against animals with impunity.
The plea cited recent incidents of brutality to animals, including the March 20, 2016, incident in which a man was caught on CCTV camera stabbing to death three stray dogs and a puppy outside Green Park Metro Station in the national Capital.
The plea also contended that unregulated pet shop was rampant with horrific abuse and exploitation.