'Death sentence to animals': Thousands write to Supreme Court over November 7 order on stray dogs
The Supreme Court had directed relocation of stray canines from institutional areas like educational institutions, hospitals, railway stations and bus stand to designated shelters after due sterilisation and vaccination in accordance with the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023.
Thousands of people on Saturday wrote letters to the Supreme Court, urging it to reconsider its order passed on November 7 that directed the removal of stray dogs from institutional areas. In their letters, the people urged the apex court to "stay, recall and reconsider" its order.
The campaign is being conducted by Animal Writes, in which thousands of people such as children, lawyers, doctors and homemakers from more than 70 districts of the country participated. Differently abled students, with letters in braille, also turned up for the cause.
Several prominent celebrities like Robin Singh of Peepal Farm Fame, Cyrus Barocha, Divya Seth and Rupa Ganguly also came in support of the movement.
“Never have in the history of this country, have so many people come together on the same day to send a letter to the Chief Justice by way of a letter petition all over the country. Respectfully order is unscientific, impractical and against the law passed by the Parliament. It is but a death sentence to animals all over the country,” said Ambika Shukla, a prominent animal activist.
What was the Supreme Court order?
The Supreme Court had directed relocation of stray canines from institutional areas like educational institutions, hospitals, railway stations and bus stand to designated shelters after due sterilisation and vaccination in accordance with the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023.
A three-judge special bench comprising justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and NV Anjaria referred to several incidents of dog bite in schools, hospitals, sports complexes, bus stands and railway stations.
The bench said despite the statutory framework of the Animal Birth Control Rules, the existence of various municipal byelaws, guidelines, standard operating procedures, the practical outcomes have remained suboptimal.
"The persistence of the problem calls for a holistic and coordinated approach... to ensure that the constitutional mandate of safeguarding the right to life under Article 21 is not compromised by administrative inaction or inefficiency," it said.