Delhi High Court Urges Centre to Address Legal Void on Sexual Crimes Against Animals

New Delhi: On May 28, 2025, the Delhi High Court directed the Centre to treat as representation a petition filed by the Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations (FIAPO), which seeks a dedicated legal framework to prosecute sexual offences against animals. The plea responds to a critical gap created by the repeal of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.

While Section 377 was narrowed by the Supreme Court in 2018 to decriminalise consensual same-sex relationships, its full removal from the BNS has effectively decriminalised acts of sexual violence against animals, the petition argues. FIAPO contends that this omission has led to a “legal vacuum,” stripping animals of legal protection from sexual abuse that had previously been covered under the repealed statute.

The organisation cited nearly 50 incidents of such abuse involving farmed, companion, and wild animals. In April 2025 alone, three disturbing cases were reported: a man in Shahdara, Delhi, was arrested for allegedly raping several stray dogs; in Saket, a dog was found unconscious and later died, with a condom recovered from its body; and in Coimbatore’s Temple Town, a construction worker was caught sexually abusing a dog.

Although the court declined to interfere directly with the legislative process, it acknowledged the seriousness of the issue and instructed the government to consider the matter promptly and resolve it within a set timeframe.