Representative image

MUMBAI: In a rare conviction under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, a 40-year-old Chembur man has been found guilty of brutally stabbing a cat to death with a screwdriver outside his home last May and fined 9,150 .

A picture of Sanjay Gade hoisting the dead cat on a stick had gone viral soon after the killing. The magistrate court did not examine any witness as Gade pleaded guilty, and sought minimum sentence. "The accused has admitted he has committed the offence by torturing and killing the cat. Therefore, he is entitled for punishment as per law," the court said. Gade had allegedly claimed that he was angry as the cat had messed up his house.

Gade was punished under various charges, including destruction of evidence, torturing an animal and causing mischief. However, the court did not jail the accused. "The accused is a physically and mentally sick person. Therefore, lenient view has to be taken at the time of awarding the sentence," the court said.

The accused has admitted to torturing and killing the cat. Therefore, he is entitled to punishment as per law,” the court said. Gade had allegedly claimed that he was angry as the cat had messed up his house.

Police had booked Gade under sections of the IPC, Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and the Maharashtra Police Act. The maximum sentence that he faced under the charges was two years in jail.

A resident of Indira Nagar in Chembur, Gade was unemployed. The prosecution said at about 1.30pm on May 14, 2018, he cruelly killed the feline and disposed of its body. A local had taken a picture of Gade sitting outside his tenement and holding up a stick with the black cat hanging from it. On a complaint by animal rights activist Nirali Koradia, the RCF police registered an FIR against Gade on May 21, 2018. After conducting investigations and recording the statements of witnesses, a chargesheet was submitted.

On September 30 this year, the accused submitted a plea through his lawyer and said he wanted to admit to his guilt. After enquiring with Gade, the court concluded that he had pleaded guilty voluntarily. “He submitted that there is no pressure or undue influence to admit his guilt. Therefore, his plea is accepted,” the court said.

Read this story in Bengali

