Some NGOs and individual petitioners have moved to the apex court to appeal against the decisions made by some high courts (Bombay High Court and Kerala High Court) to allow municipal authorities to deal with the stray dogs menace as per the rules.
On April 5, the Apex court had appointed a committee to look into the aspect of treatment of people bitten by stray dogs in Kerala and the claims of compensation.
The Justice bench heard a bunch of petitions filed by various NGOs and individual petitioners and posted the matter for further hearing on October 4, 2016. The bench said that it would also consider a petition challenging the constitutional validity of Animal Birth Control Rules.
Senior advocate Anand Grover appearing for Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organization (FIAPO) said, Animal Birth Control (ABC) rules should be implemented in letter and spirit and states should be directed to file compliance report on what action is being taken to sterilize and vaccinate dogs.
The board suggested the bench that a Central Coordination Committee with representation from various union ministries should be set up for the implementation of these measures. The board further said that better interaction between all stakeholders and better funding of the programme by the Central and the States, was needed for the animal birth control programme to be implemented for optimal results.
Senior advocate C.A. Sundaram along with advocate Anjali Sharma appearing for AWBI said the revised module contained procedures prescribed in the Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules framed under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act for eradicating the threat of rabies and reducing man-dog conflict along with suggestions from various states and litigants.
“Compassion should be shown towards stray dogs but at the mean time, these animals cannot be allowed to become a menace to the society. A balance needs to be created for dealing with such situation,” the bench said.
Supreme Court on the stray dogs issue
The justice bench consisting of Dipak Misra and U.U. Lalit said that it will entertain the revised module containing implementation frame work for controlling street dog population and other measures filed by Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), who’s the the lead petitioner in the case.
Recently, the Supreme Court of India has said that compassion should be shown while dealing with stray dogs, however, steps should be taken to ensure that stray dogs do not become a menace to the society.Stray Dogs Can’t Be Allowed To Become A Menace: SC
