Section 19: Power to Prohibit Experiments on Animals

Overview

Section 19 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, gives the Committee for the Purpose of Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals the authority to stop or limit experiments on animals. This power is used when experiments are likely to cause significant pain, or if the rules and standards for animal care aren’t being followed. Essentially, it’s a safeguard to ensure animal welfare during scientific research.

Key Provisions

• Power to Prohibit/Restrict: The Committee can completely ban or place restrictions on specific animal experiments.
• Grounds for Prohibition: This power is exercised when experiments are likely to cause severe pain to animals, or when the prescribed standards for animal care and experimentation are not met.
• Directions: The Committee can issue directions to regulate or improve the conditions under which experiments are conducted.
• Specified Cases: The prohibition or restriction applies to ‘specified cases’, meaning the Committee doesn’t need to ban *all* experiments, but can target those causing concern.

Practical Impact

This section impacts several groups. For researchers and institutions, it means they must adhere to strict standards and may need to justify their experiments to the Committee. Animal welfare organizations can bring concerns about experiments to the Committee’s attention. For the government, it reinforces the responsibility to oversee and regulate animal experimentation. Ultimately, it aims to protect animals from unnecessary suffering while allowing for legitimate scientific advancement.

Examples

• Example 1: A university is conducting research involving injecting a substance into rabbits that causes significant distress. An animal welfare group reports this to the Committee. The Committee investigates and, finding the pain unavoidable and the university lacking adequate pain management protocols, prohibits further experiments using that substance on rabbits.
• Example 2: A pharmaceutical company is testing a new drug on mice. The Committee finds that while the experiment causes some discomfort, the company has implemented robust pain relief measures and adheres to all prescribed standards for animal care. The Committee may *not* prohibit the experiment but could issue directions to further improve animal welfare, such as requiring more frequent veterinary checks.