Supreme Court Challenges Animal Custody Rule

The Supreme Court on Tuesday requested responses from the Centre and other parties concerning a plea that disputes the legality of a rule governing animal custody during ongoing litigation. A bench comprising justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta agreed to consider the plea, subsequently issuing notices to the Centre and others involved.

The plea has been associated with a pending petition addressing a similar issue. It aims to declare Rule 3 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Care and Maintenance of Case Property Animals) Rules, 2017, as exceeding the power of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, especially Section 29. The court is being asked to strike the rule down as unconstitutional.

Section 29 pertains to a court's authority to strip individuals convicted of animal ownership. The plea further seeks to assert that pre-conviction confiscation or the permanent removal of livestock ownership, as sanctioned by Rule 3, breaches constitutional articles, notably Article 14, which stands for equality before the law, and Article 300A, which safeguards against deprivation of property without legal authority.