The video of a man from Chennai throwing a dog from a rooftop, which came up on social media on Monday, just shows the pride which some people take in inflicting cruelty on animals. What makes matters worse is the pathetic condition of the laws made to protect animal rights in India. According to News18, the video - which was shot in slow motion - shows the dog whining in pain before the man grabs the dog by his neck and throws it off the rooftop. Also, In March this year, a woman in Bengaluru killed eight puppies by flinging them onto a boulder to teach the mother (of the pups) 'a lesson'. And the 'lesson' was given because the mother of the puppies had simply given birth in a drain next to her house. Just a day before that, a man had been caught on camera brutally stabbing three stray dogs and killing a puppy outside Green Park metro station in south Delhi. In July 2015, a man had tortured a dog by whirling it around after holding its legs and then throwing it at a parked car in Delhi. And what is the punishment for such heinous crimes? If the culprit is a first time offender, the maximum punishment is Rs 50. If the culprit is a repeat offender, the maximum punishment is a fine of Rs 100 and imprisonment for three months. According to the Section 11 of The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, if a person "beats, kicks, over-rides, over-drives, over-loads, tortures or otherwise treats any animal so as to subject it to unnecessary pain or suffering or causes, or being the owner permits, any animal to be so treated," that person shall be punished "in the case of a first offence, with fine which shall not be less than ten rupees but which may extend to fifty rupees and in the case of a second or subsequent offence committed within three years of the previous offence, with fine which shall not be less than twenty-five rupees but which may extend, to one hundred rupees or with imprisonment for a term which may extend, to three months, or with both." Laws as obsolete as this Act (which has not been amended since 1960) have turned animal rights into a joke in India. As long as these laws are not amended, horrible crimes against animals will continue. What makes matters worse is that politicians, on whom the responsibility of creating better laws rests, are themselves not enthusiastic about animal rights or making cruelty against animals a serious offence. Cruelty against animals (from chasing a stray dog to kicking a pigeon) will remain a reality unless the attitude of our society changes. Laws need to be resurrected and serious punishments need to be handed out, otherwise the sense of shameless pride associated with it will not go away.