Delhi High Court Halts Palamur Biosciences From Procuring New Animals, Orders Interim Remedial Action, Following PETA India Petition
Following a petition filed by PETA India, a bench consisting of Justice Sachin Datta of the High Court of Delhi ordered the government body Committee for Control and Supervision of Experiment on Animals (CCSEA) to take interim remedial steps against Palamur Biosciences Pvt. Ltd. while citing objectionable findings and the recommendations of the inspection report that was submitted to CCSEA on 17 June 2025, particularly in relation to the company’s handling, housing, euthanasia practices, and veterinary care of animals.
The inspection report, prepared by a CCSEA-appointed committee inter alia recommended urgent review of the facility’s registration to breed and experiment on animals and the rehabilitation of all 1200+ animals it houses. The court has also prohibited Palamur Biosciences from procuring or housing any new animals. Additionally, a fresh inspection of the facility has been ordered within the next week in the presence of representatives from PETA India and CCSEA is directed to take requisite steps to address areas of concern identified. CCSEA is further directed to file a status report within two weeks and the case is now listed for further hearing on 4 August 2025.
PETA India, represented by Mr. Rajshekhar Rao, Senior Advocate and Keystone Partners, argued that despite over three weeks passing since the inspection was carried out (on 11-12 June 2025), no corrective action has been taken against Palamur Biosciences by the CCSEA. Instead, further audits were reportedly carried out, which would only provide Palamur Biosciences an opportunity for a cosmetic clean-up of its facility. The High Court noted that ‘urgent interim directions are necessitated to ameliorate the conditions of animals’.
Through its petition, PETA India sought an urgent enforcement of a central government-appointed inspection committee recommendation for ‘immediate regulatory action…including the removal and rehabilitation of animals in order to prevent further pain and suffering’ at Palamur Biosciences. The inspection report also recommended a review of Palamur Biosciences’ registration and breeding license status following an extensive inspection. Additionally, PETA India’s petition seeks a permanent revocation of registrations and approvals held by the facility and its complete closure.
The government inspection took place after PETA India released a whistleblower-led exposé, including internal video, of the Telangana-based beagle breeder and contract laboratory that accepts contracts from foreign clients in June. PETA India’s petition highlights this abuse and the facility’s documented history of deliberate concealment and falsification of data.
Previously, in a historic first, on 16 June 2025, a First Information Report was registered by Boothpur Police Station, Mahabubnagar, under Section 173(1) of the Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023 against Palamur Biosciences for apparent violation of Sections 34, 269, 289, 337 and 429 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), 1860. This is the first time a police charge has been filed against an animal experimentation laboratory in India.
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The recommendations of the inspection report submitted to CCSEA on 17 June 2025 have been signed off by Dr Mukesh Kumar Gupta, Committee for Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals (CCSEA), Member and Director of Indian Council for Medical Research-National Animal Resource Facility for Biomedical Research; Dr Vivek Tyagi, Senior Consultant CCSEA; a member of the Animal Welfare Board of India; two nominees of the Institutional Animal Ethics Committee and Alokparna Sengupta, Managing Director of Humane World for Animals. Ms Sengupta has reportedly written to Shri Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh, Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying expressing concern over the delay in acting on the report. Yet, instead of acting on the report, the , in a highly irregular move seemingly aimed at protecting Palamur Biosciences, a private company, and its corporate interests at all costs.
PETA India’s whistleblower-led exposé revealed beagles crammed into enclosures so overcrowded that they caused bloody wounds to each other, minipigs poisoned so roughly they bled, and wild-caught terrified monkeys being experimented on among other cruelties. Insider allegations included lack of painkillers, dogs becoming immobile and dying from procedures and manhandling of animals. Cruelty to animals and mismanagement has been borne out by the inspectors’ report.
Dr Anjana Aggarwal, Scientist and Research Policy Advisor, PETA India says, ‘We are grateful to the Hon’ble High Court of Delhi for making clear that nobody can be above the law, and ordering remedial action to address the suffering of animals at Palamur Biosciences. Instead of acting on the whistleblowers’ accounts or the recommendations of its own inspectors who corroborated misconduct and advised over 1200 must be immediately rescued from the facility, CCSEA has instead been trying to attack, defame and intimidate PETA India. PETA India now seeks complete shutdown of Palamur Biosciences.’
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