Petition to Amend the PCA Act, 1960: Introduce Meaningful Deterrents Against Animal Abuse
The Issue
Everyday countless number of animals continue to face beating, torture, neglect, abandonment, injury, and cruel killing—often with consequences that fail to match the suffering inflicted. India’s animal-protection laws must no longer allow serious cruelty to be met with inadequate punishment.
We must demand stronger laws, meaningful penalties, and real enforcement for ALL animals—whether they are community animals, farm animals, pets, working animals, or animals who have been abandoned or left vulnerable.
The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960 is critically outdated. Its archaic fines—some as low as ₹50—completely fail as a deterrent.
Animals cannot speak for themselves. They cannot report their abusers. They cannot ask a court for justice.
They depend on us to speak for them.
It’s time for us to take a stand!
We call on the Government of India and Parliament to urgently reform India’s animal-protection laws so that serious cruelty carries serious consequences. Penalties must reflect the severity of the suffering inflicted and provide a real deterrent against abuse.
We call for:
Serious Animal Cruelty: For deliberate torture, brutal beating, intentional maiming, and other serious acts causing severe suffering: Imprisonment of up to 3 years, a fine of ₹25,000 to ₹1 lakh, or both.
Severe, Repeated, or Organized Cruelty: For exceptionally severe, repeated, or organized acts of cruelty (such as commercial breeding abuse, dogfighting, or abusive and illegal animal racing networks): Imprisonment of 3 to 5 years, a fine of ₹1 lakh to ₹5 lakh, or both.
Killing and Causing the Death of Animals: Establish strong legal consequences for deliberately killing an animal or intentionally causing its death: Imprisonment of 3 to 7 years and a fine of ₹1 lakh to ₹5 lakh.
Animal Abandonment: Make deliberate abandonment a specific, punishable offence. Where an owner or keeper abandons an animal in circumstances exposing it to starvation, injury, serious suffering, or death: Imprisonment of up to 3 years, a fine of ₹20,000 to ₹1 lakh, or both. Enhanced punishments should apply if abandonment results in death.
Stronger Consequences for Repeat Offenders: Introduce stronger penalties for repeat offenders. Courts should be empowered to prohibit convicted animal abusers from owning or keeping animals for a specified period or, in serious cases, permanently, and to order them to contribute toward the costs of rescue, veterinary treatment, and rehabilitation costs.
The Most Heinous Cases: Parliament should consider maximum aggravated penalties of up to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment or even life imprisonment for exceptionally grave, multi-animal, or continuous acts of horrific animal abuse, subject to clearly defined legal safeguards.
Better Enforcement, Rescue, and Rehabilitation: Ensure prompt investigation of serious cruelty complaints, along with access to emergency veterinary care, safe rescue, shelter, and rehabilitation for animals in danger, backed by adequate funding and effective enforcement.
Protection for Every Animal
These protections should apply to every animal, including community dogs and cats, pets, cows, bulls, calves, farm animals, camels, horses, donkeys, and other animals. No animal should be denied protection because it is male, old, sick, injured, disabled, unowned, unwanted, or no longer economically useful. Every animal deserves protection from cruelty, regardless of its age, sex, health, ownership, or economic value.
Our Appeal
We urge the Government of India and Parliament to urgently amend the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, and ensure consistency and coordination with relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
The penalties proposed in this petition are requests for legislative reform, not a statement of existing Indian law.
By signing this petition, we are calling on the Government of India and Parliament to urgently strengthen the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, introduce meaningful penalties for animal cruelty, and ensure effective legal protection for every animal.
Together, we can send a powerful message: animal cruelty is not a minor offence, and causing severe suffering must have serious consequences.
Join the movement, and let's end their suffering. Together, we can make a real difference and ensure a brighter future for these voiceless victims. Sign and share the petition today!
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The Issue
Everyday countless number of animals continue to face beating, torture, neglect, abandonment, injury, and cruel killing—often with consequences that fail to match the suffering inflicted. India’s animal-protection laws must no longer allow serious cruelty to be met with inadequate punishment.
We must demand stronger laws, meaningful penalties, and real enforcement for ALL animals—whether they are community animals, farm animals, pets, working animals, or animals who have been abandoned or left vulnerable.
The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960 is critically outdated. Its archaic fines—some as low as ₹50—completely fail as a deterrent.
Animals cannot speak for themselves. They cannot report their abusers. They cannot ask a court for justice.
They depend on us to speak for them.
It’s time for us to take a stand!
We call on the Government of India and Parliament to urgently reform India’s animal-protection laws so that serious cruelty carries serious consequences. Penalties must reflect the severity of the suffering inflicted and provide a real deterrent against abuse.
We call for:
Serious Animal Cruelty: For deliberate torture, brutal beating, intentional maiming, and other serious acts causing severe suffering: Imprisonment of up to 3 years, a fine of ₹25,000 to ₹1 lakh, or both.
Severe, Repeated, or Organized Cruelty: For exceptionally severe, repeated, or organized acts of cruelty (such as commercial breeding abuse, dogfighting, or abusive and illegal animal racing networks): Imprisonment of 3 to 5 years, a fine of ₹1 lakh to ₹5 lakh, or both.
Killing and Causing the Death of Animals: Establish strong legal consequences for deliberately killing an animal or intentionally causing its death: Imprisonment of 3 to 7 years and a fine of ₹1 lakh to ₹5 lakh.
Animal Abandonment: Make deliberate abandonment a specific, punishable offence. Where an owner or keeper abandons an animal in circumstances exposing it to starvation, injury, serious suffering, or death: Imprisonment of up to 3 years, a fine of ₹20,000 to ₹1 lakh, or both. Enhanced punishments should apply if abandonment results in death.
Stronger Consequences for Repeat Offenders: Introduce stronger penalties for repeat offenders. Courts should be empowered to prohibit convicted animal abusers from owning or keeping animals for a specified period or, in serious cases, permanently, and to order them to contribute toward the costs of rescue, veterinary treatment, and rehabilitation costs.
The Most Heinous Cases: Parliament should consider maximum aggravated penalties of up to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment or even life imprisonment for exceptionally grave, multi-animal, or continuous acts of horrific animal abuse, subject to clearly defined legal safeguards.
Better Enforcement, Rescue, and Rehabilitation: Ensure prompt investigation of serious cruelty complaints, along with access to emergency veterinary care, safe rescue, shelter, and rehabilitation for animals in danger, backed by adequate funding and effective enforcement.
Protection for Every Animal
These protections should apply to every animal, including community dogs and cats, pets, cows, bulls, calves, farm animals, camels, horses, donkeys, and other animals. No animal should be denied protection because it is male, old, sick, injured, disabled, unowned, unwanted, or no longer economically useful. Every animal deserves protection from cruelty, regardless of its age, sex, health, ownership, or economic value.
Our Appeal
We urge the Government of India and Parliament to urgently amend the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, and ensure consistency and coordination with relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
The penalties proposed in this petition are requests for legislative reform, not a statement of existing Indian law.
By signing this petition, we are calling on the Government of India and Parliament to urgently strengthen the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, introduce meaningful penalties for animal cruelty, and ensure effective legal protection for every animal.
Together, we can send a powerful message: animal cruelty is not a minor offence, and causing severe suffering must have serious consequences.
Join the movement, and let's end their suffering. Together, we can make a real difference and ensure a brighter future for these voiceless victims. Sign and share the petition today!
The Decision Makers
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Petition created on 16 October 2026