PETA India Wins Interim Custody of Eleven Abused Horses Seized by Mumbai Police Following PETA India’s Intervention
In recent court proceedings, the 5th Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) Court in Bhoiwada, the 40th Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) Court in Girgaon, and the 69th JMFC Court in Mazagaon granted interim custody of a total of 11 horses to PETA India. The Mumbai police had seized the horses in separate cases involving illegal carriage rides and severe neglect.
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PETA India filed applications seeking interim custody of the animals after first information reports (FIRs) were registered by the Gamdevi, Shivaji Park, and Sewri police stations under Sections 3 and 11 of The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960 and other relevant provisions of law.
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All three courts, acting in accordance with the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Care and Maintenance of Case Property Animals) Rules, 2017, notified under the PCA Act, 1960, granted PETA India interim custody of the horses. In two cases, the courts also rejected custody applications filed by the accused owners.
PETA India is deeply grateful to the Hon’ble Judicial Magistrates for recognising the suffering these horses endured and for directing their interim rehabilitation to two sanctuaries, where they will be cared for, not forced to pull carriages or endure abuse. Now the horses can begin to heal from their trauma and abuse.
Mumbai police suspect that the horses found in deplorable conditions were also used for so-called “joyrides” in horse-drawn carriages, or Victorias, which the High Court of Bombay ruled in June 2015 to be “completely illegal”. The Hon’ble Bombay High Court, in its judgment dated 8 June 2015, not only prohibited the use of horse-drawn Victoria carriages for rides within Mumbai but also declared the keeping of horses in the city illegal, citing the absence of licensed stables under the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (MMC) Act, 1888. As a result, the Court directed the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) to shut down all such facilities and instructed the Mumbai Police to enforce the ban and take appropriate action against violators.
In July 2017, the High Court accepted the rehabilitation plan submitted by the Maharashtra government for horse-drawn carriage owners and drivers. PETA India sent a letter in May 2018 urging the then Chief Secretary of Maharashtra to implement this plan immediately by ensuring that the MCGM receives the necessary funds, as approved by the state government. Numerous horse carriage drivers also gradually switched to heritage style motorised e-carriages.
