By IANS,
New Delhi : Members of the animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)-India will launch a protest outside parliament Friday, urging it to pass the Animal Welfare Act, 2011, which is said to be stronger in safeguarding animal rights.
“Child labour, human slavery and the oppression of women and minorities were addressed only after forward-thinking people challenged the status quo. Other beings are being tormented and killed out of sheer prejudice, and the penalty for even wanton cruelty often is only a slap on the wrist,” said PETA India’s Bhubneswari Gupta.
“The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, is a woefully outdated law that imposes fines so low that they have virtually no deterrent effect,” Gupta added.
The current Act imposes a maximum of Rs.100 as fine and three months of imprisonment as penalty for cruelty to animals.
But the proposed act, drafted by the environment and forests ministry, would provide for a fine up to Rs.25,000 and two years imprisonment for first offence, and Rs.50,000 to Rs.1 lakh in fines and imprisonment of one to three years for subsequent offence.
The protest will take place on the eve of International Human Rights Day, also observed as Animal Rights Day.