CONTENT
The Committee for Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals (CCSEA): Functions, Guidelines, and Role
The Committee for Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals (CCSEA) is the regulatory body responsible for overseeing the use of animals in research and educational activities in India. Established under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, CCSEA aims to ensure that animals used for scientific purposes are not subjected to unnecessary pain or suffering. This article discusses the functions, responsibilities, regulatory guidelines, and role of CCSEA in the ethical oversight and regulation of animal experimentation.
The Committee for Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals (CCSEA) was formerly known as the Committee for the Purpose of Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals (CPCSEA).
The motto of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960, as amended in 1982, is to prevent the infliction of unnecessary pain or suffering on animals. The Central Government has constituted the Committee for Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals (CCSEA), which is duty-bound to take all such measures as may be necessary “to ensure that animals are not subjected to unnecessary pain or suffering before, during, or after the performance of experiments on them.” For this purpose, the Government has made the “Breeding of and Experiments on Animals (Control and Supervision) Rules, 1998,” as amended in 2001 and 2006, to regulate experimentation on animals.
Functions of CCSEA
All establishments engaged in research and education involving animals are required to comply with the various guidelines, norms, and stipulations set out by CCSEA.
The main functions of CCSEA are:
- Registration of establishments conducting animal experimentation or breeding animals for this purpose.
- Selection and appointment of nominees to the Institutional Animal Ethics Committees of registered establishments.
- Approval of animal house facilities based on reports of inspections conducted by CCSEA.
- Permission to conduct experiments involving the use of animals.
- Recommendation for the importation of animals for use in experiments.
- Action against establishments in cases of violation of any legal norm or stipulation.
