Ruchi Rao
Ruchi Rao
Ruchi Rao
12/19/2022
Er. Amit Bose; B. Tech( LL.B)
Ex-Volunteer( Wildlife Crime Control Bureau )
Email:- sb_05123@rediffmail.com
Abstract
Quote:- “ The Greatness of a nation & it’s moral progress can be judged
by
the way it’s animals are treated”.
Animal rights in the world vary greatly among countries & territories. United
TheNations (UN)
pass the first resolution recognizing animal rights i.e. UNIVERSAL
the DECLARATION of
ANIMAL WELFARE which states that the importance of the sentience of animals & human
responsibilities towards them.
All animals haveheir
t own distinct position in the food chain & food web also &
their killing leads to ecological imbalances.
So, one must make sure that humans not to encroach their territory & if this
happens then surely human -animal conflict will arise.
So , there is a need to aware people by
conducting awareness campaign & check - balancemethod via Scien tific study, Legal study and
Humanitarian study. The Earth is ours’ so it’s the responsibility of every human beings to
protect and preserve the environment i.e. animals including wildlife, forest and water bodies.
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Index
1. Introduction Animal Welfare Rights
2. Objective Animal Welfare Rights
3. Methodological study on Animal Welfare Right
4. Definition and Scope of Animal Welfare
5. Definition of Cruelty
6. Kingdom of Animal ,Plants ,Fungi and Eubacteria
7. Animal Order
8. Mythological study
i . Animal welfare in Islam
ii. Animal welfare in Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhis
iii. Animal welfare in Christianity
9. The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960
10. Loopholes in Legal Provision
11. Case laws related to Animal Welfare’s
A. Animal Welfare Board of India(AWBI) v/s. A. Nagaraja
&
12. Judicial developments in cow slaughter
In the case of Abdul Hakim Qureshi v. State of Bihar (1961)
13. Misc. topics: Six reasons why meat is bad for the environment
14. Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare
15. Conclusion
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Introduction : To know what Animal Welfare Rights is all about
first of
all we will study about humans and the evolution of humans because
both correlate with each other. We will study about of human
classification by scientific method also. So, to start first we probably
know that modern humans belong to the species Homo-sapiens.
Humans can move on their own and are placed in the animal
kingdom. Further, humans belong to the animal phylum known as
Chordates because we have a backbone. The human animal has
hair and milk glands, so we are placed in the class of mammals.
Within the mammal class, humans are placed in the primate
order. Humans are placed at the top level of the food chain and
food web. We share between 93% to 99% of our DNA with
monkeys, apes (Chimpanzees, Gorillas,Orangutans).
Primate Traits:- Some primate Traits are discussed below:-
The scientific study says and proves that humans are classified as
animals and are placed at the top of the animal kingdom. The most
important reason to exist at the top of the animal kingdom is because
human beings are intelligent and have the capacity to think and take
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decision and are adaptable in nature. These traits makes humans
stronger than other animals in the animal kingdom.
So, now we can say that as humans are the stronger section in the
animal kingdom who can speak, think, fight, protest, etc. hence, it is
the moral duty of the humans to protect the animals who are claimed
to be the weaker section and are voiceless in nature.
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Definition and Scope of Animal Welfare:- Animal welfare means
an animal in good state of condition such as healthy, comfortable,
well nourished, safe, and if is not suffering from any unpleasant states
such as pain, fear and distress. Good animal welfare requires disease
prevention, proper veterinary treatment, appropriate shelter, rescue
and proper care and maintenance of animals and wild animals.
An English dramatist “John Webster” defines animal welfare by
advocating three positive conditions i.e. living a natural life,
being fit and healthy and being happy.
Mahatma Gandhi quoted, “The Greatness of a nation and it’s
moral progress can be judged by the way it’s animals are treated”
which means the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is
to protection by man from the cruelty of man.
Scope:- In recent years, animal welfare itself is recognized as a
branch of science. The scope of animal welfare activities is getting
wider day by day. Specialized programs are being undertaken to
aware human- animal conflicts. Animal welfare is important because
so many animals around the world is suffering from being used for
entertainment, experiment, food, fashion & as exotic pets.
Hence,every animal deserves to have a good life.
Definition of Cruelty:- Basically the term “ Cruelty ” means any act
of inflicting unnecessary physical or mental pain on living creatures.
Living creatures means animals and humans. Cruelty to animals refers
to the above given meaning also.
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1).Domain
2). Kingdom
3).Phylum.
4). Class
5).Order.
6). Sub-order
7). Animal families.
8).Genus, and
9).Species
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4).Eubacteria: It is a single celled organism found in everything from
yoghurt to intestines.
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1).Carnivores which are mostly killed or hunted down by people, play
a vital role in the balance of ecosystem. Humans should stop hunting
the animals normally they prey on.
2).Disturbance in carnivore population leads to damage of crops,
alterations of stream structures and variation of huge amount,
diversity of birds, invertebrates, mammals and reptiles.
3).The killing of carnivore leads to an increase in browsing animals
like deer and elk.
4).Killing of herbivores leads to an increase in the forests as well as
causing imbalance in the ecosystem, leading carnivore to prey upon
human habitats or frequent preying.
Mythological study:-
1) Animal welfare in Islam:- Islam is the religion of compassion and
affection. Prophet Mohammed preached brotherhood, compassion,
mercy, mutual cooperation and trustworthiness all of his life. Islam
states that all living creatures including humans, animals, birds and
insects are precious for consideration and deserve respect , since
Islam view them as Allah’s creations. Islam strongly enforces it’s
followers to treat animals with compassion and not to abuse them.
In Islam, humans have been directed not to waste the lives of
animals and are also held responsible for their well-being and
feed.
The Prophet said, “When you hear the barking of dogs and the
braying of asses at night” it reveals some of the animals have the
capacity to foresee the natural events such as flood , earthquake ,
hurricane , etc. that causes great damage or loss of life. Hence,
they need more attention from the mankind.
In Quran, it is mentioned that earth is not only meant to be used by
humans but for all living creatures be it insects, rodents, animals,
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birds or water creatures. The significance of animals in Islam is
evident from the fact that out of 114 Suras(Chapetrs) in the Holy
Quran six have been named after them. Among these Al-
Baqarah( The Cow, II), AnNaml (TheAnt, XXVII), Al-
Ankabut( TheSpider ,XXIX) and Al-Fil
(TheElephant,Cv)
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a) On one occasion, the Holy Prophet narrated a story that a
man felt very thirsty while he was travelling. He came across a
well, went down and quenched his thirst. When he came out, he
saw a dog panting and licking mud because of excessive thirst. He
said to himself that this dog is suffering from the same thirst as I
did.
So, he went down the well again and filled his shoe with water and
watered the dog. Allah rewarded him for the deed and forgave his
sin.
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duty of it’s citizens. The Constitutional Framework of animal
protection in India is described in the following parts i.e.
1)Fundamental Rights:- The Fundamental Rights of India are stated
in Part III ( Article 12 to Article 35 ) of the constitution. These rights
are constitutionally guaranteed rights essential for the existence and
development of all individuals. Violation of fundamental right is
considered as a breach and any individual can approach to the
Supreme Court of India directly under Article 32 for constitutional
remedies. Relevant to animal welfare is the fundamental right to life
under Article
21.
2)Directive Principles of State policy:- These are the 15 principles
stated in Part IV ( Article 36 to Article 51 ) of the constitution which
gives direction to the states on which State should frame laws and
policies. DPSP are not enforceable in any court.
However, it is the duty of the states to apply them in making laws for
the constitution. Three Directive Principles form the foundation of
state policies on animal welfare in India i.e. Article 48 and Article
48A.
3)Fundamental Duties:- The Fundamental Duties are stated in
Article 51A ( Part IV – A ) of the constitution. Fundamental Duties
are not enforceable in court of law. Article 51A(g) states that , “ It
shall be the duty of every citizen of India to protect and improve the
natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers, and wildlife and
to have compassion for living creatures.
4) Allocation of powers between the Centre and the States:- In the
context of animal rights, the following matters have been
allocated in the State and Concurrent List.
a) Item 14 of the State List provides that the States have the power
to preserve, protect, improve stock, prevent animal diseases and
enforce veterinary training and practice.
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The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960:
The basic cruelty law of India is contained in the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals Act 1960. The objective of the Act is to prevent
the infliction of unnecessary pain or suffering on animals and to
amend the laws relating to the prevention of cruelty to animals. The
Act defines “animal” as any living creature other than a human being.
In accordance with Chapter II of the Act, the Government of
India established the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI)
with some of the following functions:
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b) Using an old or injured or unfit animal for work (the punishment
applies to the owner as well as the user).
c) Administering an injurious drug/medicine to any animal.
d) Carrying an animal in any vehicle in a way that causes it pain and
discomfort.
e) Keeping any animal in a cage where it doesn’t have reasonable
opportunity of movement.
f) Keeping an animal on an unreasonably heavy or short chain for an
unreasonable period of time.
g) Keeping an animal in total and habitual confinement with no
reasonable opportunity to exercise.
h) Being an owner failing to provide the animal with sufficient food,
drink or shelter.
i) Abandoning an animal without reasonable cause.
j) Willfully permitting an owned animal to roam on streets or leaving
it on the streets to die of disease, old age or disability.
k) Offering for sale an animal which is suffering pain due to
mutilation, starvation, thirst, overcrowding or other ill- treatment.
l) Mutilating or killing animals through cruel manners such as using
strychnine injections.
m) Using an animal as bait for another animal solely for
entertainment.
n) Organizing, keeping, using or managing any place for animal
fighting.
o) Shooting an animal when it is released from captivity for such
purpose.
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advancement by new discovery of physiological knowledge or
knowledge to combat disease, whether of human beings, animals or
plants. It envisages the creation of a Committee for control and
supervision of experiments on animals by the central government
which even has the power to prohibit experimentation if so required.
Chapter V covers the area of performing animals. Section 22 prohibits
exhibiting or training an animal without registration with the AWBI.
The Section prohibits animals such as monkeys, bears, lions, tigers,
panthers and bulls from being utilized as performing animals.
Treating animals cruelly is punishable with a fine of Rs.10 which may
extend to Rs.50 on first conviction. On subsequent conviction within
three years of a previous offence, it is punishable with a fine of Rs.25
which may extend to Rs.100 or imprisonment of three months or with
both. The government further has the power to forfeit or seize or
destroy the animal. The Indian Penal Code (IPC) 1860 is the
official criminal code of India which covers all substantive aspects
of criminal law. Section 428 and 429 of the IPC provides for
punishment of all acts of cruelty such as killing, poisoning,
maiming, beating, etc.
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Case laws related to Animal Welfare:-
Animal Welfare Board of India(AWBI) v/s. A.Nagaraja & Ors.
Facts:- Jallikattu is a traditional sport practiced in the Indian state of
Tamil Nadu where a bull is released into a crowd of people who then
attempt to grab onto the hump on the bull’s back and hang onto it
while the bull attempts to escape. The tradition has seen several
human deaths over the years alongside animal welfare concerns.
Before the bulls are released, they are prodded with sharp sticks or
scythes, their tails are bent to extreme lengths so as to fracture the
vertebrae and even bitten. There are reports of the bulls being forced
to drink alcohol or chilli peppers being rubbed into their eyes for
disorientation and aggravation. During the event, the bulls are stabbed
by knives and sticks, punched, jumped on and dragged to the ground.
If not enclosed, the bulls may run into ongoing traffic resulting in
broken bones or death.
A case was filed in the Supreme Court of India by the Animal
Welfare Board of India (AWBI) in 2010 to ban Jallikattu due to
concerns of animal cruelty and public safety. Jallikattu was banned in
2011 by the Ministry of Environment and Forests which issued a
notification banning the use of bulls as performing animals. However,
the practice continued to be held under certain conditions under the
Tamil Nadu Regulation of Jallikattu Act (2007). This case was an
appeal filed by the AWBI against a High Court decision allowing for
Jallikattu to be conducted upon compliance with the Tamil Nadu Act.
The AWBI sought to enforce the government notification barring
bulls from being exhibited or being trained as performing animals.
Ruling:- The Supreme Court ruled in favour of the AWBI and upheld
the enforcement of the ban on Jallikattu. It held that Article 51A (g)
of the
Constitution is the “magna carta of animal rights” and made several
observations to safeguard the “life” of animals under Article 21.
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The Right to Life of Animals:- With regard to Article 21, the
Supreme Court notably held: Every species has a right to life and
security, subject to the law of the land. Article 21 of the Constitution,
while safeguarding the rights of humans, protects life and the word
“life” has been given an expanded definition and any disturbance
from the basic environment which includes all forms of life, including
animal life, which are necessary for human life, fall within the
meaning of Article 21 of the Constitution.
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The position was overruled in State of Gujarat v. Mirzapur Moti
Kureshi Kassab Jamat (2005) where the Supreme Court held that
Article 48 envisions a total ban on the slaughter of cows and their
progeny. It observed that cattle which has served the human species
must be treated with compassion in its old age even though it is
useless. The Court also ruled that "it was evident from the combined
reading of Articles 48 and 51- A(g) of the [Indian] Constitution that
citizens must show compassion to the animal kingdom. The animals
have their own fundamental rights. Article 48 specifically lays down
that the state shall endeavour to prohibit the slaughter.
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and Nepal. The sacrifice involves slaying of goats , chickens ,
pigeons, and male water buffaloes.
So, one must make sure that humans not to encroach their
territory and if this happens then human-animal conflict will
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arise. So, there is a need to aware people by awareness program
and check-balance method via scientific study, legal study and
humanitarian study.
Inefficient way to eat:- Over a quarter of the world’s entire land area
is used to graze or grow food for farm animals. Food that could have
been eaten by people in the first place. If everyone ate a plant based
diet, we would need 75% less farmland than we use today. This
means it takes less land to grow food directly for humans than to feed
animals, which humans then eat. By eating plant based food, we could
feed more people without destroying forests.
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Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare:- The Universal
Declaration on Animal Welfare (UDAW) is a proposed inter-
governmental agreement to recognize that animals are sentient, to
prevent cruelty and reduce suffering, and to promote standards on the
welfare of animals such as farm animals, companion animals, animals
in scientific research, draught animals, wildlife and animals in
recreation. The declaration calls for:
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effective enough in modern society i.e. IPC 428,429 and Prevention
of Cruelty to Animals Act,1960.The punishments awarded are less
and the interpretation needs to be more conclusive. Modern
investigating techniques should be adopted in crime investigation
which would be of great help in determining the cases related to
cruelty to animals. The definition of animal should be amended as
mentioned in the legal provisions.
Cruelty affects the lives of millions of animals worldwide that is the
more the violence with animals, the more the destruction to ecological
system because both correlate with each other. This will result in
global warming. The impact in terms of suffering, which it brings
upon the animals is perhaps the most severe punishment. The animals
are traumatized in such a manner that they can’t speak for themselves
but yes can express their feelings. It is not only the physical violation
of the body of an animal but an intrusion upon mental, psychological
and emotional sensitivities. When something happens to animals and
then animal activists stands for those animals to seek justice, the
whole society stands against them or they are least bothered i.e. in
other words 70% society are unaware of animal welfare rights. So, the
human society should be aware that to save our planet we all have to
maintain the ecosystem and stop killing of mass animals ( domestic or
wild ) because these animals create a food chain and food web along
with human beings.
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