Ramesh threatens legal action over govt’s failure to stop animal cruelty

Former attorney general Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj has signalled his intention to seek judicial review over government’s failure to enact adequate legislation to prevent cruelty to animals. In a pre-action protocol letter sent to the Attorney General’s office on behalf of animal rights group GOAL (Give Our Animals Love), Maharaj said the issues include the “failure and/or inaction and/or refusal’ of the Cabinet to “enact a law to promote the welfare of dogs, cats and other domesticated animals to prevent those animals from being subjected to cruelty, suffering and other harm.”

He said the State could be deemed “irrational and unreasonable” should it allow these animals to be subjected to cruelty and suffering on a daily basis without taking action to enact laws to prevent this from taking place.

It was abuse or misuse of public power, he said, for the Cabinet to know that such law reform could prevent cruelty and suffering and harm to dogs, cats and other animals but to refuse to take corrective legislative action.

Maharaj said laws such as the Summary Offences Act of 1921 (as amended) and the Pounds Act No 16 of 1875 (as amended) contained deficiencies and could not provide adequate protection.

While there is no local precedent regarding the group’s claim,he said it was “conceptualised and based on well-established principles of public law.” and cited examples from the Commonwealth, such as Grenada, which has updated its Animals (Prevention of Cruelty Act) 1958.GOAL is headed by animal-rights activist Jowelle De Souza.