Humanity Foundation of India (HFI) has been running many schemes for the protection and aid of animals for the last 18 years and remains ready for their protection. Under which Vasudev Gaushala and Chakrapani Animal Shelter have also been constructed in which injured animals and birds find shelter. HFI is also providing medical aid and rescuing hundreds of animals each month.  Find out more about HFI. 

In pursuit of its aim of animal protection, HFI is seeking legal protection and better implementation of existing laws for animals. This is given the extant dire state of animal rights and welfare, every year many animals are subjected to cruelty. In the past 10 years, India has seen nearly 5 Lakh Cases of animal cruelty, even as unreported could be much higher as per the Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations (IAPO) and All Creatures Great and Small (ACGS). The gruesome nature of these crimes is heart-wrenching. Some of the crimes against animals that were recorded include cases of a dog raped with a screwdriver in Goa, a langur hung and beaten to death in Telangana, and a street dog beaten, tied to a scooter, and then thrown off the second floor of a building in Ludhiana this year till March 2021. The severity and frequency of such crimes have worsened in the past year during the lockdowns. HFI finds it distressing that such crimes are not treated at par with those against humans. Extreme acts of violence by delinquents are not treated as real crimes, but just as bad behaviour, undocumented and soon forgotten.

National Crime Bureau of India provides state and district-wise data on violent crimes, assault, theft, sexual abuse of women and children, and murders across the country. It is an essential policy document for the control of crimes in India and yet it makes no mention of animal victims. Almost 4,230 dogs have been killed by mass culling drives across the country in the past five years alone. Beating animals is reported to be the most common form of assault, followed by their confinement and maiming them. Almost 70% of the documented cases of crime against animals do not even make it to the news.

The Indian Constitution guarantees several laws for the protection of the four-legged voiceless creatures. Indian Penal Code (IPC), Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Slaughterhouse) Rules 2001, Wildlife Protection Act 1972, and Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act are to name a few. However, the system suffers from lax implementation and a lack of awareness by the laymen. Know more about Animal Abuse in India.

HFI is demanding that these crimes must be appropriately graded, and punishment must be provided for them according to the severity of the crime. For the realisation of the same, HFI has resolved to file a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) on behalf of all the afflicted animals and concerned citizens of the nation. PIL is a petition that an individual or a non-government organisation or citizen groups, can file in the court seeking justice in an issue that has a larger public interest. To further strengthen the cause and as a show of public endorsement, Humanity Foundation of India aims to get 40,000 signatures for this PIL.

The salient objectives of the PIL are-

1. A government-led unique helpline number to be issued for the injured animals and birds for first aid and reporting akin to First Information Report (FIR), through which immediate action can be ensured. 

2. To create a central desk, exclusively for arrangements of immediate medical treatment of the injured animals. 

3. There should be a strict implementation of provisions for fines on those who put excessive load on the animals carrying the load.

4. There should be a ban on slaughterhouses up to 100 km from Religious places, schools, and residential houses.

5. Vehicle drivers leaving the animals in injured condition after hitting them on the road, should be punished under the relevant laws.

We are seeking a robust implementation of the extant animal protection laws and creation of processes along with services to ensure expeditious action on the same. We need public support for the PIL to increase the impact. The primary objective of this PIL is to create a permanent mechanism for action under the penal law and public recording of crime cases against animals. This would be done by the dual approach of collecting news reports and compiling data handled by various public and private agencies in India. Based on this robust reporting and record, the regulatory implementation be ensured. Crimes against animals should attract appropriate and proportionate penalties and fines. To access the full contents of the PIL, please contact at: hfiindia@gmail.com 

In the light of the above statements, we are seeking your kind support for this noble cause.