Animal Rights with Focus on Animal Protection & Welfare Laws’, Under the Aegis of Moot Court Society of Law College Dehradun on 10Th of July 2020
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Law College Dehradun organised a National Webinar on Animal Laws and Welfare Provisions Law College Dehradun organized a National Webinar on the topic ‘Animal Rights with focus on Animal Protection & Welfare Laws’, under the aegis of Moot Court Society of Law College Dehradun on 10th of July 2020. The key note speakers of the day were Smt. Maneka Sanjay Gandhi, an eight- term Member of Parliament, A veteran politician, who has adeptly navigated the Indian political system, to build a formidable reputation as an astute legislator and administrator. Her impressive performance in public service is distinctly apparent from the series of progressive legislations introduced during her successful tenure as Union Minister for Women & Child Development. She is the founder of “People for Animals” the largest animal welfare organization of the country started in the year 1992. Numerous well – researched, engaging and informative editorial pieces and a number of books have been authored by her. Her stalwart contribution and commitment to animals and environment has earned her international awards and acclaims as well. The second speaker Ms. Gauri Maulekhi, is the Trustee of - India’s largest animal welfare organization “People For Animals” and Member Secretary of the organization for the state of Uttarakhand, which is the legal and policy wing of its parent organization. Ms. Maulekhi has contributed to animal welfare in various capacities since the year 1994 serving as a resource person and a trainer. Adding to her credit, she was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award in the field of animal welfare advocacy by Lucknow University and the Outstanding Animal protection Award from the Humane Society International at Kansas City, USA in the year 2018. The event commenced with a warm welcome to the dignitaries of the day Smt. Maneka Gandhi and Ms. Gauri Maulekhi, Prof. (Dr.) Rajesh Bahuguna [Dean, LCD & Vice- Chancellor, UU (officiating)] and Prof. (Dr.) Poonam Rawat [Chairperson, MCS & Principal, LCD, UU (officiating)], Dr. V. Bhuvaneswari [Associate Professor, LCD, UU], the moderator for the event, along with all the participants of the event by Ms. Anna Anu Priya. Dr. Bhuvaneswari then took over the Session, introducing the guests and welcoming them. Prof. (Dr.) Bahuguna then proceeded with the opening address and congratulated the society on organizing such informative webinars. He threw light on the obstacles that have come in our way as an institution due to the situation of the current pandemic and how we’ve overcome them; the University has always been supportive of such initiatives by the student bodies. Our first Guest Speaker for the day, Smt. Maneka Gandhi, then took over the session. She streamlined focus on why protection of animals is essential and this particular area is an important component of environmental legislation. She emphasised on how the youth is required now to create change and a reform will take place only if they see it as their own battle. She quoted the incident that took place in Surat a long time back, where the authorities had instructed their subordinates to kill all dogs in the town, which resulted in the complete absence of dogs in the area and that disturbed the hygienic conditions in the city, as dog is a scavenger. She highlighted multiple other examples of similar nature and explained the fact that no animal is useless, with special emphasis on the Food Chain. The existence of each one of them is essential for the proper functioning of our eco-system and this applies to all animals, regardless of their size or species. Another recent situation, a trouble created by the locusts was also discussed. Currently, to deal with them, the Indian Air Force will have to spray pesticides in the air, which are very harmful for us humans as well. Had sparrows not gone extinct, this problem would’ve never come in the way, since they eat locusts. She concluded her address by throwing light on the importance of the knowledge of animal protection rights in law colleges all over the country. Our second speaker for the day, Ms. Gauri Maulekhi, carried forward the session by sharing her own personal experience in the Uttarakhand High Court at Nainital, where she fought for animal rights and won. She laid emphasis on the importance of education and awareness about animal protection rights in the field, especially law colleges and the statutes concerning the same and the kinds of remedies available. Emphasis was laid on the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, which carries a very strong objective, but has not been amended since it was formulated, and how there are many provisions in it which need to be reviewed and how they are being executed. At the same time, she threw light on multiple sections of the act and highlighted some of the ones that need amendment, such as the practice of animal slaughter. She discussed examples and exceptions regarding the same as well. Ms. Maulekhi quoted the example of horses that are used to carry weight up and down hills and how overburdening them is harmful for their health and causes bad consequences. The solution to this was setting a limit to the amount of weight they could carry. Issues regarding animal birth control rules and program, animal smuggling, Wildlife Protection Act were eruditely explained. She compared the progress made by the different states in creating awareness about such issues and eradicating them. A plethora of other Indian statutes like the Indian Penal Code, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, Motor Vehicles Act, Arms Act, etc., which despite not being directly related to such rights, do contain certain rules and provisions regarding the same. Ms. Maulekhi soon concluded her address and the Q&A Session commenced where the inquisitive queries of the participants were lucidly explained by the speaker. The session culminated with a vote of thanks, after which Dr. Bhuvaneswari successfully announced the end of the insightful session. The event saw a tremendous participation of students and faculty members from across the nation. .