CHENNAI: The High Court has directed the Animal Welfare and Transport departments of the State government to take forthwith effective steps to implement the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and the Motor Vehicles Act, relating to transportation of cattle. Hitherto these two Acts have remained as mere paper tigers, Justice M V Muralidharan said.
The judge on Monday dismissed a batch of writ petitions from Mohammed Shabek and five others challenging the orders, dated April 25, 2017, of the Judicial Magistrate No. III in Erode.
The authorities should take immediate steps to give life and teeth to the provisions of the law for fulfilment of the soul of the said enactments, the judge said and directed the Registrar-General to issue circulars to all lower courts in the State to take note of these provisions and to deal with the cases in proper manner.
Following a complaint from one S P Srivasa Murthy, the Chithode police intercepted five vehicles, of which four were bearing Karnataka registration number and one having Kerala number and rescued 83 cattle. Cases were registered and the Erode JM imposed fines ranging from `1,000 to `2,000 on the accused. The JM also ordered that 54 cattle belonging to the petitioners and others should not be given back to the owners.
Challenging the order on the return of the cattle, the six accused moved the High Court.