Due to weak animal cruelty laws in India, many people used to escape from the cruelty of animals. However, a fine of Rs 50 for animal cruelty will soon be a thing of the past as the Center is trying to make the animal cruelty law more stringent. The Union Animal Husbandry and Dairy Secretary, Atul Chaturvedi, told English newspaper TOI that his ministry is “actively investigating the issue related to increasing the existing penalties for cruelty to animals by amending the existing law.”
Under 1960, fines ranging from Rs 10 to Rs 50 are charged for any cruelty to animals. This includes killing animals, torturing, starving, cutting limbs. None of these are considered cognizable offenses under this 60-year-old law. Only animal fighting and shooting matches are held under this law.
According to a Times of India report, 12 MPs, including Union Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Thawarchand Gehlot and seven other ruling BJP members, recently raised very little penalty for animals in front of animal husbandry minister Giriraj Singh. All the MPs in the letter appealed to make the law tougher, saying that the purpose of this law has no meaning because of the low penalty.
