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Jammu and Kashmir Judicial Academy organized a one-day sensitization workshop on 'Animal Laws' for judicial officers and prosecuting officers here on Saturday.
The workshop was held at Judicial Academy under the patronage of Justice N Kotiswar Singh, Chief Justice, High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, (Patron-in-Chief, J-K Judicial Academy) and guidance of Justice Sindhu Sharma, Chairperson, Governing Committee for J-K Judicial Academy. The training programme was inaugurated by Justice Rahul Bharti, Judge, High Court of J-K and Ladakh in the presence of DC Raina, Advocate General, UTs of J-K and Ladakh. Gauri Maulekhi, a leading animal welfare laws expert was the resource person in the workshop. The training programme was conducted by Y P Bourney, Director, J-K Judicial Academy. Justice Rahul Bharti, in his inaugural address, emphasised that purpose of the law is to bring humanness out of humans so that society stays in peace with the environment and thereby evolves itself. "Animals are given rights to be next to the Gods just as humans and their supremacy is well mentioned in our religious books", he added. He gave illustrations from his various real-life experiences and discussed various case laws during his deliberation. He underlined the purpose of holding such training programmes to enhance the knowledge of Judicial and other law Officers relating to the laws and to remove inhibitions while applying the provisions thereof in their day-to-day work. D C Raina in his special remarks stated that animals may be less wise but they are not senseless and "our culture as well as our ecology is incomplete without them." He added that animals are an integral and inseparable part of thesociety. He said that "We have several laws and Acts relating to animals but all those are not sufficient and we all have to contribute towards the welfare of animals" by introducing animal-friendly practices for dealing with cases of cruelty in a time-bound manner. Y P Bourney, Director, of J-K Judicial Academy, presented the welcome address and gave an overview of the programme. He underlined that the human association with animals perhaps is as old as human civilization itself. Animals occupy a very crucial space in human existence. He added that with the change in times, the bond between humans and animals has grown deeper and deeper. Not only that, we have a rich culture of not only protecting and preserving some species but also worshipping some of the species of animals. He highlighted that it is important for each and every one of us to have a clear understanding of laws and the legal provisions in vogue for the protection of animals from wanton acts of cruelty. In the technical sessions, the resource person Gauri Maulekhi gave an introduction to animal protection laws and the prevention of the Cruelty to Animal Act, 1960 using a PowerPoint Presentation. She said that the mindless hunting, poaching and killing of animals for commercial exploitation in recent times have not only led to new challenges for humanity to preserve the much-needed ecological balance but also pose a threat to some species of extinction. The resource person also deliberated upon the rules regarding the transport and slaughter of animals and discussed various case studies with the participants. It was emphasised to sensitize the public regarding cruelty to animals and its ill effects so that it can be prevented. Later, an interactive session was held during which the participants deliberated and discussed various aspects of the subject topic and raised queries that were addressed satisfactorily by the resource person. (ANI)
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