International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research

E-ISSN: 2582-2160   •   Impact Factor: 9.24

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Volume 8 Issue 2
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Animal Rights within the Framework of Criminal Law: An Evolving Jurisprudence in India

Author(s) Dr. Jayashri Rajbangshi
Country India
Abstract Every year, millions of animals are subjected to abuse, exploitation, and neglect, yet crimes against animals remain among the least prosecuted offences in criminal justice systems worldwide. In India alone, official data reveal a steady rise in reported cases of animal cruelty over the past decade, even as conviction rates remain alarmingly low. This widening gap between harm and accountability exposes a deeper structural problem: while animals suffer real and irreversible injury, the law continues to treat their protection as secondary to human interests. Against this backdrop, the present article examines the place of animal rights within the framework of criminal law, questioning whether existing legal mechanisms are capable of delivering meaningful protection to non-human beings. The study analyses constitutional principles, statutory provisions, and evolving judicial interpretations that have progressively recognised animals as sentient entities entitled to dignity and humane treatment. Particular attention is paid to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, and the limitations of its punitive framework in addressing contemporary forms of violence against animals. By critically engaging with landmark judicial pronouncements and comparative developments, the article argues that criminal law must move beyond a welfare-centric approach towards a rights-based model of accountability. The article ultimately contends that strengthening penal sanctions, enforcement mechanisms, and judicial sensitivity is essential for transforming compassion from moral rhetoric into enforceable criminal justice.
Keywords Animal Rights, Criminal Law, Cruelty to Animals, Legal Personhood, Environmental Jurisprudence, India
Published In Volume 8, Issue 2, March-April 2026
Published On 2026-03-14
DOI https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i02.70424
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E-ISSN 2582-2160
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