law: Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960
  11. Treating animals cruelly. -
  (1) If any person-
  (a) beats, kicks,
  
  over-rides, over-drives, over-loads, tortures or otherwise treats any animals
  
  so as to subject it to unnecessary pain or suffering or causes or, being the
  
  owner permits, any animal to be so treated; or
  (b) employs in any
  
  work or labor any animal which, by reason of any disease, infirmity, wound, sore
  
  or other cause, is unfit to be so employed or, being the owner, permits any
  
  such unfit animal to be so employed; or
  (c) willfully and
  
  unreasonably administers any injurious drug or injurious substance to any
  
  domestic or captive animal or willfully and unreasonably causes or attempts to
  
  cause any such drug or substance to be taken by any domestic or captive animal;
  
  or
  (d) conveys or
  
  carries, whether in or upon any vehicle or not, any animal in such a manner or
  
  position as to subject it to unnecessary pain or suffering; or
  (e) keeps or confines
  
  any animals in any cage or other receptacle which dose not measure sufficiently
  
  in height, length and breadth to permit the animal a reasonable opportunity for
  
  movement; or
  (f) keeps for an
  
  unreasonable time any animal chained or tethered upon an unreasonably short or
  
  unreasonably heavy chain or cord; or
  (g) being the owner,
  
  neglects to exercise or cause to be exercised reasonably any dog habitually
  
  chained up or kept in close confinement; or
  (h) being the owner of
  
  any captive animal, fails to provide such animal with sufficient food, drink or
  
  shelter; or
  (i) without reasonable
  
  cause, abandons any animal in circumstances which render it likely that it will
  
  suffer pain by reason of starvation or thirst; or
  (j) willfully permits
  
  any animal, of which be is the owner to go at large in any street while the
  
  animal is affected with contagious or infectious disease or, without reasonable
  
  excuse permits any diseased or disabled animals, of which he is the owner, to die
  
  in any street; or
  (k) offers for sale
  
  or, without reasonable cause, has in his possession any animal which is
  
  suffering pain by reason of mutilation, starvation, thirst, overcrowding or
  
  other ill-treatment; or
  (l) needlessly
  
  mutilates any animal or kills any animal in an unnecessarily cruel manner; or
  (m) confines or causes
  
  to be confined any animal in such a manner as to make it an object of prey for
  
  any other animal solely with a view to providing entertainment for other
  
  persons; or
  (n) for the purposes
  
  of his business, organizes. keeps, . uses or acts in the management of, any
  
  place for animal fighting or for the purpose of baiting any animal or permits
  
  or offers any place to be so used or receives money for the admission of any
  
  other person to any place kept or used for any such purposes; or
  (o) promotes or takes
  
  part in any shooting match or competition wherein animals are released from
  
  captivity for the purpose of such shooting; he shall be punishable, in the case
  
  of a first offence, with fine which may extent to fifty rupees, and, in the
  
  case of a second or subsequent offence committed within three years of the
  
  previous offence, with fine which may extend to one hundred rupees, or with
  
  imprisonment for a term which may extend to three months, or with both.
  (2) For the purpose of sub-section (1), an
  
  owner shall be deemed to have committed an offence if he has failed to exercise
  
  reasonable care and supervision with a view to the prevention of such offence:
  Provided that where an owner is convicted of
  
  permitting cruelty by reason only of having failed to exercise such care and
  
  supervision, he shall not be liable to imprisonment without the option of a
  
  fine.
  (3) Nothing in this section shall apply to-
  (a) the dehorning of
  
  cattle, or the castration or branding or nose-roping of any animal, in the
  
  prescribed manner, or
  (b) the destruction of
  
  stray dogs in lethal chambers or by other methods with a minimum of suffering;
  
  or
  (c) the extermination
  
  or destruction of any animal under the authority of any law for the time being
  
  in force; or
  (d) any matter dealt 
  
  with in Chapter IV; or
  (e) the commission or
  
  omission of any act in the course of the destruction or the preparation for
  
  destruction of any animal as food for mankind unless such destruction or
  
  preparation was accompanied by the infliction of unnecessary pain or suffering.