Animal welfare in India is regulated mainly by the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, through the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) and the Committee for Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals (CCSEA). States add their own animal welfare boards and district SPCAs. Wild animals fall under forest departments, and cruelty is a crime for the police.
The ministry
The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, in the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, is in charge of the main law, the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. Both AWBI and CCSEA come under it. For the laws themselves, read animal welfare laws in India, in plain words.
Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI)
AWBI is a statutory body set up in 1962 under the PCA Act. It advises the government on animal welfare law and rules, recognises animal welfare organisations and gaushalas, and takes complaints through an online Grievance form. Read Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI): complaints, recognition and contact.
CCSEA, formerly CPCSEA: experiments on animals
CCSEA, set up under Section 15 of the PCA Act, controls experiments on animals. It registers labs that breed or use animals, places its nominees on each lab’s ethics committee and approves experiments on large animals. It was called CPCSEA until . Read CPCSEA full form, why it is now CCSEA, and what it does.
IAEC: each lab’s own committee
Every establishment registered with CCSEA has an Institutional Animals Ethics Committee (IAEC). Today it approves experiments on small animals. Under the 2026 draft rules it would approve all mild and moderate experiments itself. Read IAEC full form, members and what it approves and who approves an animal experiment under the draft rules.
State Animal Welfare Boards and district SPCAs
Each state has a State Animal Welfare Board. Pet shops and dog breeders must register with it (Pet Shop Rules, 2018; Dog Breeding and Marketing Rules, 2017), and you can inform it of cruelty. In every district, a Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) is meant to make sure the PCA Act is carried out locally: on AWBI asked every state and union territory to set one up, or revive it, in each district (AWBI circular). Find SPCAs and other groups near you in the Directory.
Wild animals and birds
Wild animals and many native birds are protected under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, which comes under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Report captive or injured wildlife to the state forest department. Organised wildlife crime, such as trafficking, is the work of the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, a statutory body of the same ministry.
Police and courts
Cruelty to animals is a crime. Killing, poisoning or maiming an animal is an offence under Section 325 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, so the police can register an FIR. Read how to report animal cruelty and file an FIR. Courts decide how the laws apply: see the Supreme Court’s stray dog orders, explained.
Who does what
| Body | Law | What it decides | How to reach it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying | PCA Act, 1960 | The law and the rules under it | Through AWBI and CCSEA |
| AWBI | PCA Act, Section 4 | Advice, recognition of groups, complaints | Grievance form on awbi.gov.in; office 0129-2555700 |
| CCSEA | PCA Act, Section 15 | Labs, large-animal experiments | ccsea.gov.in |
| IAEC | 1998 Rules (2026 draft) | Experiments in its own lab | Through the lab |
| State Animal Welfare Board | Rules under the PCA Act | Pet shops, breeders, state matters | State government |
| District SPCA | PCA Act | Carrying out the PCA Act in the district | Its Directory listing, where one exists |
| State forest department | Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 | Wild animals and birds | State forest department |
| Police | BNS 2023, PCA Act | Crimes against animals | Police station, 112 |
Questions and answers
This guide is general information, not legal advice.
By Animal Writes
