{"id":3981,"date":"2026-09-02T08:41:20","date_gmt":"2026-09-02T08:41:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kingmakersiasacademy.com\/current-affairs\/?p=3981"},"modified":"2026-09-03T08:48:09","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T08:48:09","slug":"3981-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kingmakersiasacademy.com\/current-affairs\/3981-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Animal Welfare"},"content":{"rendered":"

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SYLLABUS: Indian Polity<\/b><\/p>\n

General Studies \u2013 : II <\/b>Structure, organization and functioning of the Executive and the Judiciary\u2014Ministries and Departments of the Government; pressure groups and formal\/informal associations and their role in the Polity.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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IN NEWS:<\/b> All animals need equal consideration<\/span><\/p>\n

QUESTION: <\/b>Should Indian animal welfare jurisprudence move from a cruelty-prevention approach to a broader animal-dignity and welfare approach? Critically examine.<\/span><\/p>\n

ANSWER: <\/b>India\u2019s animal welfare jurisprudence stands at a critical crossroads between anthropocentric regulation and ecocentric rights. Traditionally anchored in <\/span>the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960<\/b>, Indian law has primarily focused on a negative duty\u2014preventing <\/span>“unnecessary pain and suffering”<\/b>\u2014while permitting the economic exploitation of non-human entities. However, landmark judicial interpretations, notably in <\/span>Animal Welfare Board of India v. A. Nagaraja (2014)<\/b>, have sought to expand <\/span>Article 21 (Right to Life)<\/b> to include animal dignity and the internationally recognized Five Freedoms.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. The Current Paradigm: Cruelty-Prevention Approach<\/b><\/h3>\n

India\u2019s primary statutory framework, the <\/span>Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960<\/b>, is anchored in a welfare model aimed at preventing “unnecessary pain or suffering.”<\/span><\/p>\n