Jacqueline Fernandez has been named PETA India's Woman of the Year for helping to highlight the issue of animal cruelty across the world.

The Honourable Justice (Ret) KS Panicker Radhakrishnan of the Supreme Court of India was named People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India's Man of the Year.

He headed the bench that passed the landmark judgement in favour of PETA India as well as the Animal Welfare Board of India – the government body that clarified that bulls must not be used in jallikattu, bull races, bullfights or any other type of performance and that called for animals to be respected in many other way.

PETA UK Director Mimi Bekhechi said, "Retired Judge Radhakrishnan and Fernandez are role models who uphold this mandate for kindness to animals through the actions they take, as we all should."

Fernandez's work with PETA India in the last year includes taking to Twitter to call for the release of the formerly abused elephant Sunder, who was finally moved from his life of misery to a forested park where he has room to roam and the companionship of other elephants.

She also teamed up with PETA India to rally support for a ban on the importation of cosmetics that have been tested on animals – a ban that has since passed – and helped judge PETA India's Vegan Fashion Awards, demonstrating how chic leather-, wool- and fur-free fashion can be. Fernandez met with the Mayor of Mumbai to call for an end to the city's cruel and dangerous horse-drawn carriage trade, an issue dear to her heart. And she recently rescued a snake in Malaysia while she was shooting a film there. She also helps animals every time she sits down to eat: she's vegan!

Past recipients of PETA India's Person of the Year Award include Dr Shashi Tharoor, India's Minister of State for Human Resource Development; Hema Malini and R Madhavan.