# Calcutta HC quashes animal cruelty case over dog hit by car 2026-08-10T16:50:06+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet The Calcutta High Court has quashed criminal proceedings against a man accused of deliberately running over a stray dog in Howrah, ruling that the incident was an unfortunate road accident, not an act of cruelty. Justice Ajoy Kumar Mukherjee held that charges under animal cruelty and mischief laws require proof of criminal intent, which the investigation failed to establish. The court noted contradictions between the FIR and witness statements: the complaint said the car moved slowly, but witnesses later claimed it knocked the dog down 'desperately'. The prosecution did not produce veterinary reports, forensic evidence, or photos proving the dog's death. A 26-day delay in filing the complaint also cast doubt on the allegations. The High Court said continuing the case would be an abuse of process. ## Coverage - millenniumpost.in Tags: animal cruelty, Calcutta High Court, criminal intent, Howrah, road accident, stray dog Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/calcutta-hc-quashes-animal-cruelty-case-over-dog-hit-by-car/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/calcutta-hc-quashes-animal-cruelty-case-over-dog-hit-by-car/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.