Draft Animal Testing Rules Draw Criticism, Propose Decentralized Approvals

New draft regulations, the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Control and Supervision of Experiment, Breeding and Trading of Laboratory Animals) Rules, 2026, issued by the government on September 30, 2026, have sparked sharp criticism from animal rights groups, including PETA. These groups contend the proposed rules could “significantly weaken existing animal protections.” The draft rules are currently open for public comments until November 5, 2026, according to Mongabay India.

The draft rules propose a shift from existing regulations, which include the Experiments on Animals (Control and Supervision) Rules, 1968, and the Breeding of and Experiments on Animals (Control and Supervision) Rules, 1998. The new approach would base approvals for experiments on the expected severity of harm to the animal, moving away from the more centralized system. Under the proposed framework, institutional-level ethics committees would be permitted to approve experiments deemed “mild” and “moderate,” while deferring those categorized as “severe” or from which the animal will not recover, to the central Committee for the Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals (CCSEA).

Prevailing regulations mandate approvals from the CCSEA for any experiments involving animals above the phylogenetic level of rodents and other small animals, such as birds and rabbits. Surat Parvatam, Senior Program, highlighted concerns regarding the categorization of severity, noting, “The draft rules list certain examples of experimentation — such as inducing tumours or solitary isolation — as being of a moderate nature. But these categorisations appear to be based on our perceptions of severity, and may not necessarily reflect whether it is mild, moderate, or severe on the animal per se.” The article was originally published on Mongabay.

What to watch: The public comment period closes on November 5, 2026.

Editor's note: Comprehensive report covering the draft animal testing rules, background, and specific stakeholder critiques accurately.