{"id":11401,"date":"2025-11-09T09:42:57","date_gmt":"2025-11-09T09:42:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/?p=11401"},"modified":"2025-11-09T09:45:51","modified_gmt":"2025-11-09T09:45:51","slug":"the-case-for-a-missing-law-on-bestiality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/the-case-for-a-missing-law-on-bestiality\/","title":{"rendered":"The Case for a Missing Law on Bestiality"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 id=\"introduction\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Introduction\"><\/span>Introduction<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>In the transition from the Indian Penal Code (IPC) to the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) in 2023, one provision silently disappeared \u2014 Section 377<sup>[1]<\/sup>, which criminalised sexual acts \u201cagainst the order of nature,\u201d including bestiality. While much of the public discourse around Section 377 has rightly focused on its unjust use against the LGBTQ+ community, its complete omission has also inadvertently left animals without legal protection from sexual abuse.<\/p><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #0c0c0c;color:#0c0c0c\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #0c0c0c;color:#0c0c0c\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/the-case-for-a-missing-law-on-bestiality\/#Introduction\" >Introduction<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/the-case-for-a-missing-law-on-bestiality\/#A_Troubling_Legislative_Gap\" >A Troubling Legislative Gap<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/the-case-for-a-missing-law-on-bestiality\/#Contrast_with_Global_Practice\" >Contrast with Global Practice<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/the-case-for-a-missing-law-on-bestiality\/#Rationale_for_Stronger_Laws\" >Rationale for Stronger Laws<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/the-case-for-a-missing-law-on-bestiality\/#Cases_of_Bestiality_Reported_in_India\" >Cases of Bestiality Reported in India<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/the-case-for-a-missing-law-on-bestiality\/#Existing_Legal_Framework_and_Its_Limitations\" >Existing Legal Framework and Its Limitations<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/the-case-for-a-missing-law-on-bestiality\/#A_Call_for_Legislative_Reform\" >A Call for Legislative Reform<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<h2 id=\"legislative-gap\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_Troubling_Legislative_Gap\"><\/span>A Troubling Legislative Gap<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>What is worrying is that this gap may not be the product of deep deliberation but of bureaucratic oversight. The removal of bestiality from India\u2019s penal framework does not appear to be accompanied by any reasoned legislative explanation or alternative provision in the BNS. In effect, the act of sexually exploiting animals, though still morally abhorrent and socially condemned, is no longer an explicitly defined criminal offence under India\u2019s current criminal code.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"global-comparison\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Contrast_with_Global_Practice\"><\/span>Contrast with Global Practice<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>This omission stands in sharp contrast to global practice. Many jurisdictions, from the UK to Canada and across the United States, have strengthened laws on animal sexual abuse, classifying it as both a criminal and animal cruelty offence.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"rationale-for-stronger-laws\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Rationale_for_Stronger_Laws\"><\/span>Rationale for Stronger Laws<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Bestiality is an act of violence against a sentient being incapable of consent.<\/li>\n<li>It is a recognised indicator of psychosexual disorders that may escalate into crimes against humans.<\/li>\n<li>The absence of such deterrence in Indian law sends a dangerous signal that such acts fall into a grey zone of legality.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"cases-in-india\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Cases_of_Bestiality_Reported_in_India\"><\/span>Cases of Bestiality Reported in India<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>India has witnessed multiple reported instances of bestiality over the past decade \u2014 from Kerala to Delhi and Uttar Pradesh \u2014 where animals were brutally assaulted. Some notable cases include:<\/p>\n<table border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"6\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Year<\/th>\n<th>Location<\/th>\n<th>Description<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>2020<\/td>\n<td>Najafgarh, Delhi<\/td>\n<td>A stray dog was found sexually assaulted and killed<sup>[2]<\/sup>.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>2019<\/td>\n<td>Haryana<\/td>\n<td>A pregnant goat died after being gang-raped<sup>[3]<\/sup>.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>These are not isolated aberrations but recurring acts of cruelty that currently fall through the cracks of criminal law.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"existing-legal-framework\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Existing_Legal_Framework_and_Its_Limitations\"><\/span>Existing Legal Framework and Its Limitations<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>While the <em>Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960<\/em><sup>[4]<\/sup>, could theoretically be invoked, its penalties \u2014 often limited to a few hundred rupees \u2014 are outdated and grossly inadequate for such grave acts. The absence of a specific penal provision leaves enforcement agencies without a clear legal basis to prosecute offenders effectively.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"call-for-reform\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_Call_for_Legislative_Reform\"><\/span>A Call for Legislative Reform<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>It is imperative that lawmakers reintroduce a specific provision penalising bestiality, not as a moral issue but as a necessary legal safeguard. A modern justice system cannot claim to protect the vulnerable while ignoring some of the most defenceless beings in society \u2014 its animals.<\/p>\n<p><b>End Notes: <\/b><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>https:\/\/kanoongpt.in\/bare-acts\/the-indian-penal-code-1860\/chapter-xi-to-xx-chapter-xvi-of-unnatural-offences-section-377-d49f9d72a37093d1<\/li>\n<li>https:\/\/www.indiatoday.in\/mail-today\/story\/delhi-taxi-driver-rapes-female-puppy-animal-cruelty-pervert-1034748-2017-08-30<\/li>\n<li>https:\/\/www.business-standard.com\/article\/news-ani\/pregnant-goat-dies-after-being-gang-raped-by-8-men-in-haryana-118072900032_1.html<\/li>\n<li>https:\/\/kanoongpt.in\/bare-acts\/the-prevention-of-cruelty-to-animals-act-1960<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Introduction In the transition from the Indian Penal Code (IPC) to the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) in 2023, one provision silently disappeared \u2014 Section 377[1], which criminalised sexual acts \u201cagainst the order of nature,\u201d including bestiality. While much of the public discourse around Section 377 has rightly focused on its unjust use against the LGBTQ+<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":615,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"two_page_speed":[],"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"_joinchat":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[854,28],"class_list":{"0":"post-11401","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-animal-laws","7":"tag-animal-laws","8":"tag-top-news"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11401","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/615"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11401"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11401\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11401"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11401"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.legalserviceindia.com\/Legal-Articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11401"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}