Hours after Chief Justice of India BR Gavai stated that he will look at the two-judge bench order on moving all stray dogs in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) to shelter homes, the matter has been referred to a larger bench, which will hear the case on Thursday.
On the instructions of Chief Justice Gavai, a three-judge bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and NV Anjaria will take up the case on Thursday.
Supreme Court orders to keep all stray dogs in shelter homes
The Supreme Court ordered to catch all stray dogs from Delhi-NCR and keep them in shelters and added that under no circumstances will they be allowed to be released on the streets again.
Adequate staff, sterilisation, deworming, vaccination and CCTV surveillance will be mandatory in all shelters/pounds, and a separate facility will be kept for weak and sick dogs, the Supreme Court said.
Cruelty, abuse or negligence towards dogs will not be tolerated
The Supreme Court made it clear that any kind of cruelty, abuse or negligence towards dogs will not be tolerated and instructed to avoid overcrowding and provide adequate food and medical treatment to dogs.
The Supreme Court issued a warning of contempt proceedings against people or organisations trying to disobey or stop the order and sought a progress report of shelter construction in eight weeks.
SC observes dog bites have given rise to an "extremely grim" situation
On August 11, a bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan observed that instances of dog bites had given rise to an "extremely grim" situation and ordered the permanent relocation of all strays in Delhi-NCR "at the earliest".
On Wednesday, the lawyer referred to a May 2024 order passed by a bench led by Justice JK Maheshwari relegating petitions relating to the stray dog issue to respective high courts. The CJI then assured that he will look into it.
The plea by the Conference for Human Rights (India) claims the Animal Birth Control (Dog) Rules, 2001, mandating regular sterilisation and immunisation programmes for stray dogs to curtail their growing population, are not being complied with.
In its August 11 ruling, the apex court also said dog shelters will have to be augmented over time and directed Delhi authorities to start with creating shelters for around 5,000 canines within six to eight weeks.
Besides, the bench warned of strict action against an individual or organisation in case of any kind of obstruction in the relocation drive that might also prompt the court to initiate contempt proceedings.
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