Property or Family Member: What Indian Law Actually Says
Under the Transfer of Property Act and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, a dog is legally classified as movable property. That single fact shapes every custody dispute before it even reaches a courtroom. There is no dedicated pet custody statute in India, no equivalent of the child welfare standard that asks what arrangement serves the animal's best interest. A pet is, in law, closer to a television set than to a child.
