Institute of Legal and Management Studies

During the hearing of the stray dog matter today, the Supreme Court expressed concerns over the recurring incidents of stray dog attacks, observing that such reports were tarnishing the country's image at the global level.

“Continuous incidents are happening, and the image of the country is being shown as down in the eyes of foreign nations. We are also reading news reports,” Justice Vikram Nath, the presiding judge of the bench, observed.

When a counsel referred to cruelty committed towards dogs, Justice Sandeep Mehta, the second judge of the bench, commented, "What about the cruelty towards humans?"

The bench comprising Justice Vikram Nath, Justice Sandeep Mehta and Justice NV Anjaria was hearing the suo motu case relating to the stray dog issue. In August, a two-judge bench led by Justice JB Pardiwala had passed directions to shift all stray dogs in Delhi-NCR to dog shelters. After that order led to a huge outrage, the case was shifted to the present three-judge bench. The three-judge bench modified the blanket direction to shift dogs, and clarified that only those dogs which are aggressive or suspected of being rabies-infected need to be kept in shelters. The bench also expanded the scope of the case pan-India and sought affidavits from all States/UTs on compliance with the Animal Birth Control Rules. Further, the Court prohibited the public feeding of stray dogs except in the designated places.

Today, the bench expressed disappointment with the States (except West Bengal and Telangana) for not filing the affidavits and summoned the Chief Secretaries to be personally present next Monday.