Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960

11. Treating animals cruelly. -

(1) If any person-

(a) beats, kicks, over-rides, over-drives, over-loads, tortures or otherwise treats any animals so as to subject it to unnecessary pain or suffering or causes or, being the owner permits, any animal to be so treated; or

(b) employs in any work or labor any animal which, by reason of any disease, infirmity, wound, sore or other cause, is unfit to be so employed or, being the owner, permits any such unfit animal to be so employed; or

(c) willfully and unreasonably administers any injurious drug or injurious substance to any domestic or captive animal or willfully and unreasonably causes or attempts to cause any such drug or substance to be taken by any domestic or captive animal; or

(d) conveys or carries, whether in or upon any vehicle or not, any animal in such a manner or position as to subject it to unnecessary pain or suffering; or

(e) keeps or confines any animals in any cage or other receptacle which dose not measure sufficiently in height, length and breadth to permit the animal a reasonable opportunity for movement; or

(f) keeps for an unreasonable time any animal chained or tethered upon an unreasonably short or unreasonably heavy chain or cord; or

(g) being the owner, neglects to exercise or cause to be exercised reasonably any dog habitually chained up or kept in close confinement; or

(h) being the owner of any captive animal, fails to provide such animal with sufficient food, drink or shelter; or

(i) without reasonable cause, abandons any animal in circumstances which render it likely that it will suffer pain by reason of starvation or thirst; or

(j) willfully permits any animal, of which be is the owner to go at large in any street while the animal is affected with contagious or infectious disease or, without reasonable excuse permits any diseased or disabled animals, of which he is the owner, to die in any street; or

(k) offers for sale or, without reasonable cause, has in his possession any animal which is suffering pain by reason of mutilation, starvation, thirst, overcrowding or other ill-treatment; or

(l) needlessly mutilates any animal or kills any animal in an unnecessarily cruel manner; or

(m) confines or causes to be confined any animal in such a manner as to make it an object of prey for any other animal solely with a view to providing entertainment for other persons; or

(n) for the purposes of his business, organizes. keeps, . uses or acts in the management of, any place for animal fighting or for the purpose of baiting any animal or permits or offers any place to be so used or receives money for the admission of any other person to any place kept or used for any such purposes; or

(o) promotes or takes part in any shooting match or competition wherein animals are released from captivity for the purpose of such shooting; he shall be punishable, in the case of a first offence, with fine which may extent to fifty rupees, and, in the case of a second or subsequent offence committed within three years of the previous offence, with fine which may extend to one hundred rupees, or with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three months, or with both.

(2) For the purpose of sub-section (1), an owner shall be deemed to have committed an offence if he has failed to exercise reasonable care and supervision with a view to the prevention of such offence:

Provided that where an owner is convicted of permitting cruelty by reason only of having failed to exercise such care and supervision, he shall not be liable to imprisonment without the option of a fine.

(3) Nothing in this section shall apply to-

(a) the dehorning of cattle, or the castration or branding or nose-roping of any animal, in the prescribed manner, or

(b) the destruction of stray dogs in lethal chambers or by other methods with a minimum of suffering; or

(c) the extermination or destruction of any animal under the authority of any law for the time being in force; or

(d) any matter dealt with in Chapter IV; or

(e) the commission or omission of any act in the course of the destruction or the preparation for destruction of any animal as food for mankind unless such destruction or preparation was accompanied by the infliction of unnecessary pain or suffering.

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