‘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.

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
Call to reduce laboratory animal use is not driven by ethics alone
On October 6, the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying proposed the Draft Laboratory Animals Rules, 2026 under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, raising concerns over laboratory animal use in India. The ministry stated that the new rules aim to update standards for scientific and educational experiments involving animals. Critics argued that three provisions of the draft contradict the 3R principles of replacement, reduction, and refinement. Rule 4(6) permits the use of animals in teaching laboratories that phased out dissection over a decade ago under University Grants Commission guidelines. Rule 5 creates exceptions allowing species protected under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, as well as free-ranging and feral animals, to be used in experiments and training, while Rule 21(2) allows sourcing from unregistered establishments and open markets. Observers stated that these provisions threaten biodiversity, risk ecological disruption, and conflict with modern non-animal technologies and advancements in human-specific cell and gene therapies.

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.
20 Jun 2026Official Release
Veterinary vaccine testing lab expanded at Baghpat
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare issued a notification amending the Drugs Rules, 1945, to expand veterinary vaccine testing functions at the Central Drugs Laboratory. Published under Gazette Notification G.S.R. 65(E) on the 28 Jan 2026, under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, the update applies to the Central Drugs Laboratory at the Chaudhary Charan Singh–National Institute of Animal Health located in Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh. The rule expands the institute's testing capacity from only two veterinary vaccines to 42 veterinary vaccines, covering biologicals used for dogs, horses, poultry and livestock. In practice, this enhancement helps streamline regulatory clearance, reduce testing timelines for manufacturers, and ensure quality-assured vaccines reach the market for animal welfare.

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

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

Call to reduce laboratory animal use is not driven by ethics alone

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

Veterinary vaccine testing lab expanded at Baghpat