How to report animal cruelty in India: police, AWBI and the law
Checked against 3 sources
Cruelty to an animal is an offence under Section 11 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, which lists beating, starving, overloading, abandoning, mutilating or killing an animal, including a stray1. Most of these acts are non-cognizable, so the police need a magistrate's order to act, except killing or mutilating an animal and organising animal fights, which the police can act on directly1. You can report it to the police, to the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), or to your State Animal Welfare Board or a registered SPCA, and the newer Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 also punishes killing or maiming any animal with up to 5 years in jail or a fine, or both23.
- Main law
- Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, Section 11: lists acts of cruelty and applies to strays too1
- PCA Act penalty
- ₹10–50 fine for a first offence; ₹25–100 and/or up to 3 months in jail for a repeat offence within 3 years — unchanged since 19601
- Newer, stronger charge
- BNS 2023 Section 325: killing, poisoning or maiming any animal, up to 5 years' imprisonment or a fine, or both2
- Cognizable (police can act directly)
- Only killing/mutilating an animal, organising animal fights, shooting matches that release captive animals, and the practice banned under Section 12; everything else under Section 11 needs a magistrate1
On this page
What counts as cruelty
- Beating, kicking, overloading, torturing or causing an animal unnecessary pain or suffering1.
- Working or driving an animal that is unfit to work because of disease, age or injury1.
- Keeping an animal in a cage or chain too small or too tight for it to move normally1.
- Not giving a confined or chained animal reasonable food, water, shelter or exercise1.
- Abandoning an animal, including to die of hunger or thirst1.
- Mutilating or killing any animal by a cruel method, including a stray1.
- Using an animal for baiting, or organising an animal fight or a shooting match that releases a captive animal1.
What the law actually punishes
| Law | What it covers | Penalty |
|---|---|---|
| Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, Section 11 | The acts listed above, against any animal including strays1 | First offence: fine of ₹10–50. Repeat offence within 3 years: fine of ₹25–100, or up to 3 months' imprisonment, or both1 |
| Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, Section 325 | Killing, poisoning, maiming or rendering useless any animal, with no value or species limit2 | Imprisonment up to 5 years, or a fine, or both2 |
| PCA Act, Section 29 | A court can order forfeiture of the animal and ban the convicted person from keeping animals1 | Breaking that ban: fine up to ₹100, or up to 3 months' imprisonment, or both1 |
Police, FIR and the magistrate
Under Section 31 of the PCA Act, only some offences are cognizable, meaning the police can register an FIR and act without waiting for a court order: killing or mutilating an animal (clause l), organising an animal fight (clause n), a shooting match that releases a captive animal (clause o), or the specific practice banned under Section 12 1.
Everything else under Section 11 — beating, starving, overloading, over-chaining, abandonment — is non-cognizable. For these, take your complaint to a magistrate rather than expecting the police to register a standard FIR on the spot1. The newer BNS Section 325 charge for killing or maiming an animal is a separate route the police can also pursue2.
Report to AWBI or your State Board
- Note the date, time, place and what you saw, and photograph or video the animal and the scene if it's safe to do so.
- If the animal is hurt, get it to a vet or a government or NGO clinic first; see low-cost and NGO vet clinics near you.
- The Animal Welfare Board of India takes cruelty complaints and can write to the police, the district magistrate or the State Veterinary Council to ask for action3.
- You can also complain to your State Animal Welfare Board, or to a registered SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) in your city — these are independent societies that AWBI recognises and supports, not a branch of AWBI itself13.
- AWBI also lets you check the status of a complaint you've already filed, by state, year and complaint number, through its website3.
Evidence to keep
- Photos or video, with the date and location if your phone records it.
- Names and contact numbers of any witnesses.
- Any vet report, if the animal was treated.
- A written note of what you saw and when, made as soon as possible afterwards.
- The acknowledgement or complaint number from the police, AWBI or your State Board, so you can follow up.
Good to know
A citizen can file a complaint; only the police or an authorised officer can arrest or prosecute. This page explains what the law and AWBI's own site say — it isn't legal advice, and a lawyer or your local AWBI office can help with a specific case.
Not fully clear yet
Official sources disagree or leave gaps on these. Confirm before you rely on them.
- The PCA Act's own fines (₹10–50, then ₹25–100) have stayed the same since 1960; a 2022 amendment bill proposed much higher fines but hasn't been passed into law, so these small amounts are still what the Act itself states1.
- We could not reach indiacode.nic.in or egazette.gov.in, the central government's own law repositories, to independently cross-check the BNS Section 325 text during this check; it comes from a legal database that publishes the Act's full wording2.
- AWBI's site does not give a separate list of SPCA contact details by city on the page we checked, only a list of State Animal Welfare Boards; contact your state's board or search for your city's registered SPCA directly3.
- Whether an act of cruelty against a pet in your home (rather than in public) gets treated differently by local police isn't stated in the Act; ask your State Animal Welfare Board or a lawyer about a specific situation.
Sources and how we check
Facts checked against the official sources below by Thapki. Written with AI help from the sources below, then checked line by line; the Thapki team reads and approves every page before it goes live. How we check
- 1The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, with the 1982 amendment (PDF): Sections 11, 29, 30, 31
- 2The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023: Section 325, mischief by killing or maiming animal (indiacode.nic.in and egazette.gov.in were both unreachable during this check; this is a legal-database copy)
- 3Cruelty: lodge a cruelty complaint, check complaint status, and list of State Animal Welfare Boards