‘Who benefits from sacrificing voiceless animals?’: Ajay Joe raises questions over new lab testing draft

Animal activist Ajay Joe has raised concerns over India’s proposed draft laboratory animal-testing rules, warning they could weaken oversight for laboratory animals nationwide. Joe, speaking to India TV, said the draft allows laboratories to form internal committees to approve experiments, replacing stricter earlier oversight, and requires inspectors to give advance notice before visits. He said the proposed rules could permit euthanasia or reuse of animals after experiments instead of mandatory lifelong care, and allow sourcing from open markets or streets rather than only approved breeders. Joe warned this could create a market for traded animals including rabbits, rodents, street dogs, cats, cattle and wild animals. He questioned who benefits from sacrificing voiceless animals and called for greater investment in alternatives such as artificial intelligence and robotics. “We are going back to 18th-century testing,” Joe said, describing the proposal as a step backwards. The government has set a November 5 deadline for public suggestions and objections on the draft.

Sources

India TV News

Read the original (opens in a new tab)Summary written by Animal Writes. Read the original before relying on it.

Editorial policy Report a mistake

More in Animal Experimentation

2 Nov 2026News
‘Self approval, self policing’: PETA India’s Anjana Aggarwal tears into govt’s draft rules on animal testing
The Centre’s draft Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Control and Supervision of Experiment, Breeding and Trading of Laboratory Animals) Rules, 2026, released in Oct 2026, has drawn criticism from PETA India. Dr Anjana Aggarwal, Scientist and Research Policy Advisor at PETA India, said the draft could weaken independent oversight and allow protected wildlife and community animals to be used in laboratories. She warned that “if these draft rules are notified, institutions will monitor themselves” and that the process could become a rubber‑stamp. The rules would replace the 1968 and 1998 rules and the Centre is accepting suggestions until 5 Nov 2026. Dr Aggarwal noted the absence of an openly available database on animal experiments, citing the CCSEA’s lack of public records. She urged India to adopt alternative methods such as organ‑on‑chips, organoids, computational and AI models, and to align with the European Union’s 2026 non‑animal testing framework.
2 Nov 2026News
PETA’s plea: Celebrities, politicians, scientists sign against Centre’s draft on animal cruelty rules
Celebrities, politicians, and scientists in New Delhi opposed draft animal cruelty rules for laboratory animals, fearing weakened animal protection safeguards. PETA India stated that over 18,000 people, including actors John Abraham, Tabu, and Hema Malini, along with parliamentarians and scientists, signed the appeal seeking the withdrawal of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Control and Supervision of Experiment, Breeding and Trading of Laboratory Animals) Rules, 2026. The proposed rules aim to replace the Breeding of and Experiments on Animals (Control and Supervision) Rules, 1998, by introducing institutional self-regulation for pharmaceutical, medical, and academic research. The Government stated that the draft rules strengthen ethical accountability and invited objections and suggestions until November 5. PETA India alleged that the proposal could increase the capture and use of protected wildlife for experiments, permit community dogs and cats in laboratories, and dilute oversight by the Central Committee for Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals (CCSEA). PETA India's science and research policy advisor Dr Noopur Jain said, "We must build on this progress, not move backward."
3 Nov 2026News
‘Will take India backwards’: Surat Parvatam urges Centre to reconsider proposed rules on animal testing
Dr Surat Parvatam of Humane World for Animals has raised concerns that the Draft Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Control and Supervision of Experiment, Breeding and Trading of Laboratory Animals) Rules, 2026, could expose stray animals to experimentation. The Centre notified the draft rules in October to replace the 1968 and 1998 rules, seeking public suggestions until November 5. Animal rights organisations and activists alleged that the proposed framework would expose animals to greater suffering and weaken safeguards, while the government argued the rules would speed up scientific research. Dr Surat Parvatam stated that allowing procurement from open markets or unregistered breeders would create a knowledge gap regarding medical backgrounds and challenge biosafety. She warned, "These are not just ethical concerns but scientific concerns as well. The scientific credibility of the research is extremely important." She further noted that a previous mandate requiring researchers to use non-animal methods first and justify animal testing has been removed, conflicting with the promotion of human-based testing methods under the New Drugs and Clinical Trials Rules, 2023. Readers can submit their suggestions to the Centre regarding the draft rules before the deadline.

From the Library

6 Oct 2026Rule
Draft Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Control and Supervision of Experiment, Breeding and Trading of Laboratory Animals) Rules, 2026 (GSR 864E)
The Committee for Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals issued the Draft Laboratory Animals Rules, 2026 under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. The notification, issued on 30 Sep 2026, sets out updated standards for scientific and educational experiments involving animals. The new framework will replace India's older 1968 and 1998 rules on experiments on animals. Under the proposed system, each experiment would be classed as non-recovery, mild, moderate or severe. A laboratory's own institutional animal ethics committee would be permitted to approve mild and moderate procedures. The Committee for Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals would retain approval authority for severe and non-recovery procedures performed on animals positioned above rodents and rabbits. Some farm animals, fish and birds could come from the open market with the approval of the ethics committee. The public and interested stakeholders can send formal objections or suggestions regarding the draft text to the Committee for Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals until 5 Nov 2026.
30 Jun 2026Rule
Administrative (Committee for Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals) Amendment Rules, 2026
The Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying issued notification G.S.R. 552(E), setting CCSEA's fees for registering animal facilities, breeding, renewal, ethics committee revision, and protocols on large animals. Published in the Gazette of India under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, the document establishes processing fees of 12,000 rupees for small and large animal registration and small animal facility amendments. Breeding registration for in-house use costs 18,000 rupees for small animals and 30,000 rupees for large animals, while trade breeding is 30,000 rupees for both. Renewal costs 3,000 rupees, revision of the Institutional Animal Ethics Committee is 1,200 rupees, and large animal educational protocols cost 1,200 rupees per protocol, with non-educational protocols costing 6,000 rupees.
11 May 2026Official Release
National conference on laboratory animal welfare
The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying organised a national conference on laboratory animal welfare in India to promote ethical research. The Committee for Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals acted to advance ethical standards under the ministry. The event matters because it guides proper care and scientific responsibility for animals in laboratories. Officials stated that ethical protocols will continue to be reviewed through upcoming regulatory meetings.

Find help near youAll states and districts Near me

‘Who benefits from sacrificing voiceless animals?’: Ajay Joe raises questions over new lab testing draft

Sources

More in Animal Experimentation

‘Self approval, self policing’: PETA India’s Anjana Aggarwal tears into govt’s draft rules on animal testing

PETA’s plea: Celebrities, politicians, scientists sign against Centre’s draft on animal cruelty rules

‘Will take India backwards’: Surat Parvatam urges Centre to reconsider proposed rules on animal testing

From the Library

Draft Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Control and Supervision of Experiment, Breeding and Trading of Laboratory Animals) Rules, 2026 (GSR 864E)

Administrative (Committee for Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals) Amendment Rules, 2026

National conference on laboratory animal welfare