Jan Vishwas Bill Cattle Trespass Act gets decriminalisation push pigs camels added to definition

New Delhi, Mar 27 (PTI) The Jan Vishwas Bill introduced in the Lok Sabha on Friday proposed a sweeping overhaul of the 153-year-old Cattle Trespass Act, decriminalising key offences, replacing jail terms with financial penalties, and routing collected fines to animal welfare.
     The Bill, which seeks to amend 79 central acts, proposes to significantly expand the definition of "cattle" -- hitherto limited to a narrow set of bovines -- to include camels, buffaloes, horses, pigs, sheep, and goats.
     The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2026, introduces two new functionaries into the Act's enforcement framework: an "adjudicating officer" at the level of Sub-Divisional Magistrate or equivalent, and an "appellate authority" at the District Magistrate level, while also updating definitions of "local authority" and "officer of police."
     Reflecting the broader legislative transition away from colonial-era criminal law, the Bill substitutes a reference to Section 6 of the Indian Penal Code with the corresponding provision -- Clause 28 of Section 2 -- of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
     In one of its more substantive changes, the Bill replaces the word "fine" with "penalty" across Sections 12 to 17 and 22 to 27 -- a shift that signals a move from criminal to civil enforcement.
     Under the revised Section 12, state governments will be empowered to prescribe scales of penalty for impounded cattle.
     Existing provisions under which a Magistrate could impose imprisonment of up to six months or a fine of Rs 500 are replaced with adjudication by an officer empowered to levy a penalty of up to Rs 5,000.
     Under a redrawn Section 26, neglect or damage involving pigs will attract a penalty of Rs 1,000, while offences involving cattle will draw up to Rs 5,000.
     The Magistrate-imposed fine of Rs 50 under Section 27 is similarly replaced with an adjudicating officer-imposed penalty of up to Rs 5,000.
     The Bill inserts Sections 27A and 27B into the Act. Section 27A provides for a formal adjudication process -- including inquiry powers and penalty imposition with a mandatory hearing -- while Section 27B lays out an appeals mechanism, allowing aggrieved parties 30 days to approach the District Magistrate, who must dispose of the appeal within 60 days.
     A new Section 27C provides that failure to pay a penalty within 90 days will invite either three months' imprisonment or double the original penalty amount.
     Under the proposed amendment to Section 28, all penalties collected under the Act will be directed to a dedicated fund under the Animal Welfare Board of India, to be used for welfare implementation.
     The central government will also be empowered to frame rules governing inquiries, appeals, and the use of the fund -- rules that will be placed before Parliament.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)