Page 50 - Tehelka Issue 14E

ANIMAL RIGHTS

he Uttarakhand PERSONHOOD FOR historic judgement is to forge
was gunned down was names and said even af- High Court at a lasting and comprehensive
staged for political gains. ter so many encounters Nainital, in a change in human conscious-
It was a well concocted what harm the govern- petition praying NON-HUMAN ANIMALS — ness of and behaviour toward
false charge that my sis- ment and the court done T for restriction of all animals in order to prevent
ter had gone to kill Chief to me. On the contrary, I movement of horses and A HISTORIC MOMENT animal cruelty, exploitation,
Minister Narendra Modi, was given bravery medal mules between Nepal and In- and neglect and to protect
and so they had her of ‘Puraskar’ and 51,000 dia, declared all animals (non- natural habitats.
killed in that encounter.” as an award. Today this human animals including For too long, the society has been regarding The Government of India
Musarrat Jahan had encounter of yours is the birds and fish) as legal entities. must recognise its fundamen-
repeatedly said that sixth one. Tomorrow we Animal welfare and animal animals as objects, having no intrinsic worth tal duty towards non-human
though they are ruined will give this story to the rights advocates across the beyond their ‘use’ for us. In a landmark move, animals, as enshrined in Arti-
and devastated but media and newspapers country are celebrating this cle 48-A &51 A(g) and reiter-
determined to get justice. that are going to investi- landmark judgement. the Uttarakhand High Court judgement that has ated by the Hon’ble Courts of
“For us it is a fight for gate the case: on getting While it is important accorded the status of “legal person or entity” to this country, and implement
‘insaaf’, to remove the chance he ran away, to recognise the rights of animals gives a sense of security to the animal animal welfare laws in letter
terrorist tag thrown at somehow he got a re- animals, it is even more es- and spirit. Only then can we,
my innocent sister, at volver from somewhere sential to recognise the duty kingdom, writes GAURI MAULEKHI as a Nation, protect and pre-
us, at my entire family. and fired on us and on of care that we, as humans,
You cannot imagine how • Probe time CBI or SIT probe sought into all encounter killings back-firing (from us) he have towards animals. The habitats. While we theoreti- the animals as living, sen- The education
difficult it’s been for us to was shot …The vehicle Supreme Court recognised cally confer them with per- tient beings. The education
survive.” was the cold night of Thursday, 18 was stopped at one place in the dark this duty of care towards sonhood and rights, animals system must include material system must
They were fortunate enough to September 2003. I was sleeping in night. As per my assumption, it was animals, mandated in section are still held in zoos, circuses, that instils an interest in and include material
have had the well-known lawyer, Vanaar’s office in such position/ some place behind the airport, be- 3 of the Prevention of Cruelty and scientific laboratories. respect for all living beings.
Vrinda Grover, fight their case. In condition that one of my hands was cause the lights of the airport were to Animals Act, 1960, in the For too long, we have re- These are objectives best ful- that emphasizes
fact, Grover had then told me that cliffed and locked with the table. seen from there. On both sides of case of Animal Welfare Board garded non-human animals filled by providing knowledge
she had decided to take up this case I was asleep with great difficulty the road there was the canal….Then of India vs. A. Nagaraja& Ors. as objects, having no intrinsic that emphasizes animals as animals as
of slain Ishrat Jahan because, “It when one of the officers awakened they led the vehicle deep inside on The High Court at Nainital too worth beyond their use for us. living, sentient creatures who living, sentient
was the conviction of the mother me by kicking me on my back with the other side of the canal, on the vested the responsibility of This judgement is the begin- share the environment with
and family in Ishrat’s innocence his shoes. Singhal was standing left side and all the braves got down protecting animals, ensur- ning of the dialogue to change humans. creatures
and their determination to have in front of me and the best kind from the vehicle after stopping it at ing their welfare, on us- the the narration, to recognise The key to realising this who share the
her name cleared that persuaded of Awadh’s fragrance was witting a vast open space and they also got human citizens. The recogni-
me. They want their respect and from his clothes. Behind Singhal me down by pulling my beard and tion of animal rights must be environment
dignity restored.” Till date I haven’t one face was seen. He was V.D. abusing me…Vanaar took out the harmoniously read with the with humans
read a full- fledged volume on the Vanaar. On Singhal’s order, the revolver and told his companions duty of care- without which,
rising number of encounters taking hand cliff was unlocked from my to move aside a bit after he aimed we cannot secure the ideal
place in today’s so- called developed hand. V.D. Vanaar took me along the revolver on my head …I was concept of rights. serve the entire community
India, but in one of the volumes and said, ‘come on, its Sahab’s order standing alive dumb with amaze- This declaration is an op- of life.
written by a former jailed inmate today your encounter has to be ment and was astonished, because portunity for us to introspect
there is a detailed description of his done. I was told you offer namaaz/ the bullet did not strike my head but on our relationship with the The author is an animal
near -death in an encounter. salat for dead persons, today offer passed by my head. After that five non-human animals we share welfare law consultant. She
I Am A Mufti & I Am Not A Terrorist namaaz for yourself. I was pushed fires were shot on my right and left the world with. A majority conducts training sessions for
-11 Years Behind the Bars — written to sit in a Tata Sumo [car]…After side of the head and on the left and of the interaction we have law enforcement agencies and
by Mufti Abdul Qayyum Husain misfiring on me on one or two right side of my legs ….Until now, with non-human animals is workshops for magistrates in
Mansuri carries not just details of places, Vanaar asked for the re- Mr. A.A. Chauhan, being a silent through their exploitation. We many States for better under-
the torture inflicted on him after he volver from P.S.I., R.I. Patel and after audience in this blood-shedding interact with animals when standing of animal welfare
was “kidnapped” by Gujarat Crime directing the vehicle (Tata Sumo) on drama, entered the scene. He came we raise them in intensive laws. She has been awarded
Branch and then implicated in the two, three roads, told the driver to forward and said, Vanaar sahab factory farms for slaughter, the Nari Shakti Puruskar by
Akshardham case, but much more… take it near the canal. On the way, don’t kill him. I want to give him a when we confine them for the President of India in 2018,
Imprisoned for 11 long years till Vanaar also narrated the legend of last chance, after talking to superior experiments in the name of which is the highest civilian
acquitted by the Supreme Court of his mastery in encounters and the officer. Then asked me, turning science, breed them for trade award for women in India. Her
India; one of the first things he did allotment of medals from the gov- towards me: if you confess all that and encroach upon their efforts have led to several land-
was to write this book, carrying not ernment. He said: See I have killed the superior office says then I can mark judgements in the field of
just details of his prison years but Hameed Lala. I have killed Ranap- save your life…” • Talk sense Majority of interaction animal welfare.
also of the one encounter he faced. wala here on the stairs of the crime humans have with non-human
To quote from this book: “It branch, and he counted some more LETTERS@TEHELKA.COM animals is through their exploitation LETTERS@TEHELKA.COM

TEHELKA / 31 JULY 2018 50 WWW.TEHELKA.COM TEHELKA / 31 JULY 2018 51 WWW.TEHELKA.COM

48-50 Opinion Humra.indd 4 7/17/2018 8:45:42 PM 51 Animal Gauri Maulekhi.indd 3 7/17/2018 8:46:43 PM