Now Reading: Calcutta HC quashes animal cruelty case over dog hit by car
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Calcutta HC quashes animal cruelty case over dog hit by car
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…
The Story in Brief
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.
The Indian Opinion
Animal lovers will see this as a let-off, but the court rightly applied the basic criminal law principle that intent must be proven. The real failure is in the investigation: no post-mortem, no photos, conflicting witness accounts. That is not a licence to hit animals, but a reminder that panic-driven cases without evidence help no one. The test for West Bengal is whether it can train police to gather forensic proof in such incidents.
Source: millenniumpost.in
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
