Constitution of Animal Welfare Board of India
(1) The Board shall consist of the following persons, namely: -
(a) the Inspector-General of Forests, Government of India, ex officio;
(b) the Animal Husbandry Commissioner to the Government of India, ex officio;
[(ba) two persons to represent respectively the Ministries of the Central Government dealing with home affairs and education, to be appointed by the Central Government;
(bb) one person to represent the Indian Board for Wild Life, to be appointed by the Central Government;
(bc) three persons who, in the opinion of the Central Government, are or have been actively engaged in animal welfare work and are well-known humanitarians, to be nominated by the Central Government;]
(c) one person to represent such association of veterinary practitioners as in the opinion of the Central Government ought to be represented on the Board, to be elected by that association in the prescribed manner;
(d) two persons to represent practitioners of modern and indigenous systems of medicine, to be nominated by the Central Government;
[(e) one person to represent each of such two municipal corporations as in the opinion of the Central Government ought to be represented on the Board, to be elected by each of the said corporations in the prescribed manner;]
(f) one person to represent each of such three organisations actively interested in animal welfare as in the opinion of the Central Government ought to be represented on the Board, to be chosen by each of the said organisations in the prescribed manner;
(g) one person to represent each of such three societies dealing with prevention of cruelty to animals as in the opinion of the Central Government ought to be represented on the Board, to be chosen in the prescribed manner;
(h) three persons to be nominated by the Central Government;
(i) six members of Parliament, four to be elected by the House of the People (Lok Sabha) and two by the Council of States (Rajya Sabha).
(2) Any of the persons referred to in clause (a) or 1 [clause (b) or clause (ba) or clause (bb)] of sub-section (1) may depute any other person to attend any of the meetings of the Board.
[(3) The Central Government shall nominate one of the members of the Board to be its Chairman and another member of the Board to be its Vice-Chairman.]
[Reconstitution of the Board -- (1) In order that the Chairman and other members of the Board hold office till the same date and that their terms of office come to an end on the same date, the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, reconstitute, as soon as may be after the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Amendment) Act, 1982 (26 of 1982) comes into force, the Board.
(2) The Board as reconstituted under sub-section (1) shall be reconstituted from time to time on the expiration of every third year from the date of its reconstitution under sub-section (1).
(3) There shall be included amongst the members of the Board reconstituted under sub-section (1), all persons who immediately before the date on which such reconstitution is to take effect, are members of the Board but such persons shall hold office only for the unexpired portion of the term for which they would have held office if such reconstitution had not been made and the vacancies arising as a result of their ceasing to be members of the Board shall be filled up as casual vacancies for the remaining period of the term of the Board as so reconstituted:
Provided that nothing in this sub-section shall apply in relation to any person who ceases to be a member of the Board by virtue of the amendment made in sub-section (1) of section 5 by sub-clause (ii) of clause (a) of section 5 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Amendment) Act, 1982 (26 of 1982)].