Every registered establishment needs permission before an experiment, from either CCSEA or its own Institutional Animals Ethics Committee (IAEC). Which of the two decides is the biggest change in the 2026 draft rules.
Today
The 1998 Rules say permission comes from the Committee or the IAEC “as the case may be” (Rule 8). CPCSEA’s standard operating procedures set the split: the IAEC approves experiments on small animals, and “for carrying out the experiment on large animals, approval of CPCSEA is a must”; the IAEC may only recommend.
Under the draft
The split moves from the size of the animal to the expected pain. Mild and moderate experiments on all animals go to the IAEC and “shall not be referred to the Committee” (Rule 11(3)). CCSEA decides only severe and non-recovery experiments on animals above rodents and rabbits (Rule 11(2)). For mild and moderate experiments on animals above rabbits, the IAEC reports to CCSEA at three stages (Rule 11(4)).
| Experiment | Today | Draft 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Mild or moderate, rats and mice | IAEC | IAEC |
| Mild or moderate, dogs, monkeys and other large animals | CCSEA (CPCSEA procedures) | IAEC, with reports to CCSEA |
| Severe or non-recovery, large animals | CCSEA | CCSEA |
| Severe, rodents and rabbits | IAEC | Not stated |
Who sits on an IAEC under the draft
Nine members (Rule 16): a biologist, two scientists from different disciplines, a veterinarian, the scientist in charge of the animal facility, and four CCSEA nominees: a main nominee, a link nominee, an outside scientist and a socially aware nominee. The chairperson and member secretary come from the establishment’s own members. A meeting needs six members, including the main nominee and the socially aware nominee (Rule 17(2)).
Objections can be sent to CCSEA until . Write and send yours in two minutes.
Sources
- CCSEA: Draft Laboratory Animals Rules, 2026, G.S.R. 864(E) (Gazette of India, Extraordinary, No. 793, )
- CCSEA: Compendium of CPCSEA (1998 Rules, 2001 and 2006 amendments, PCA Act Chapter IV, standard operating procedures)
