Pooja Bhatt wants harsher laws against animal abuse

Pooja Bhatt recently took to social media, requesting the Government of India for an amendment to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act of 1960. Under the Act, the highest fine for a first-time offender is limited to ₹50. “A ₹50 fine will never act as a deterrent against animal cruelty,” she asserts. So, the actor-filmmaker, like other animal rights activists, joined the #NoMore50 bandwagon on Twitter to urge the Parliament to take it up in the monsoon session. According to the Bombay Begums actor, anyone who commits cruelty to animals can harm human life too. She says, “We need to ensure that perpetrators are held accountable, analysed psychologically and given exemplary punishment if we want a more humane society.” Perturbed by how the 1960 Act doesn’t ensure this, Bhatt explains, “When an animal has been abused, tortured or killed, the police, at most, register an FIR under Section 428 IPC and 11(1)(a) PCA Act, 1960... Abusers get bail instantly, unless stringent sections, in cases where firearms or swords are used, are not added.”

She urges that society must act to safeguard the weak. “Since the pandemic, incidents of violence against not only animals, but even against women and kids, have surged. If we want to call ourselves a civilised society, we must ensure the most vulnerable are protected,”she signs off.

A ₹50 fine is unacceptable and will never act as a deterrent against animal cruelty. POOJA BHATT, Actor-filmmaker