Guest guest Posted November 29, 2002 Report Share Posted November 29, 2002 TIMES NEWS NETWORK [ MONDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2002 > 12:01:09 AM ] > > NEW DELHI: The Delhi high court has ordered mobile > courts to be set up in the city to punish those > involved in cruelty to animals. The courts, to be > the first of their kind in the country, will be > manned by metropolitan magistrates. > > The courts will tour the city and take action > whenever they find animals being mishandled. The > guilty person may face imprisonment up to three > months and/or a fine. > > Once the courts are set up, two metropolitan > magistrates will inspect the condition of animals, > including birds in the city, specially in areas near > slaughter houses and circuses. The condition of > animals during transportation will also come under > scrutiny. > > According to existing provisions of the Delhi Police > Act, the police have to produce animals in court to > prove that they have been ill-treated. Due to this > ''impractical'' requirement, the provisions for > fines and punishments under the Prevention of > Cruelty to Animals Act remain virtually dead in > spirit, an animal rights activist said. > > A Bench comprising Justice Anil Dev Singh and > Justice R S Sodhi gave the direction to set up the > mobile courts while hearing a petition filed by the > NGO People for Animals, which proved how cruelly > animals were brought to the Idgah abattoir for > slaughtering. > > ''NGOs often brings animals loaded in trucks to the > Tis Hazari courts. This just prolongs their > suffering,'' Arvind Sinha, a Tis Hazari-based > lawyer, said. > > The suggestion for mobile courts was mooted by C K > Chaturvedi, secretary of the Idgah Abattoir > Committee, who was present in the court through the > government counsel. He suggested that the present > system needs to be reversed and law should come to > the aid of the suffering animals. > > Chaturvedi welcomed the ruling saying: ''Apart from > other things, this will also solve the problem of > stray cattle on the streets as they are exposed to > the danger of being hit by vehicles, and cause > traffic snarls. The owners can now be imprisoned > and/or fined by the mobile magistrates. Moreover, > now people can contact the mobile courts and inform > them of any incident of cruelty to animals.'' Till > now one of the biggest reasons for the problem of > stray cattle on roads is that their owners feel they > can't be punished. > > He said that animals being mute creatures, an > animals right to life can be enforced only if people > are more compassionate. > > Everything you'll ever need on one web page from News and Sport to Email and Music Charts http://uk.my. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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