Court asks Delhi police chief to hold training programmes for cops on animal protection laws

Observing that the quality of investigation into cases related to animal protection has gone down, a Delhi court has asked the city police commissioner to conduct a training programme for officers to apprise them about amendments in laws.

Metropolitan Magistrate Abhilash Malhotra said police officers get less opportunity to familiarise themselves with various laws related to animal protection due to their busy routine.

The court was hearing a plea filed by a man whose buffaloes were seized by the police for alleged violation of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.

The court's observations came after holding that the police had not done a proper investigation into the bills submitted by the man, Bittu.

He has sought the release of two buffaloes and 31 buffalo calves, and filed an affidavit stating that he will not take the animals out of Delhi and will not sell them.

The court said the submitted bills, relating to the sale of animals to him, are handwritten and without any serial number or other details.

The animals were seized under Section 11 A (treating animals cruelly) of the Act.

"It cannot be ignored that police officers being busy in routine criminal investigation get very little opportunity to deal with and brush up their concepts under the Prevention of cruelty to Animals Act, the Delhi Agricultural Cattle Preservation Act...," the court said.

The magistrate said it has been observed that due to "lack of orientation to these special laws", the quality of investigation and reports is it "adversely" affected.

"The court is of the considered opinion that a training programme needs to be chalked out to hone the skills of police officers and to apprise them with basic fundamentals as well as the new rules which have been brought into force," he said.

The court said it cannot remain "oblivious" to the fact that in normal course of events, this kind of unauthenticated and 'kaccha' receipts can be easily created post-registration of a criminal case in order to escape liability.

It also directed the investigating officer to visit the place where animals are proposed to be kept and file a report on the hygiene, space, security and medical facilities available there.

The court has put up the matter for further hearing tomorrow.