'We Don't Want A Competition': Supreme Court Declines To See Videos In Stray Dogs Case

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday orally observed that there are videos on online platforms like YouTube which show stray dogs attacking children and old people.

The matter came up for hearing before a bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and NV Anjaria.

During the hearing, a senior counsel, appearing for a dog rights organisation, said if your lordships could see some videos that he has annexed. The counsel indicated videos showing cruelty being inflicted on dogs.

The bench orally observed that there are videos where dogs are attacking children and old people. "We don't want a competition here (like video vs video)," the bench observed.

The apex court was hearing a matter in connection with stray dogs’ issue and the hearing will continue on Tuesday.

Senior advocate Mahalakshmi Pavani, appearing for pro-dog parties, contended that women who feed stray dogs were being harassed by people, and highlighted the plight of women feeders and caregivers. She submitted that under the garb of earlier orders, there were anti-feeder vigilantes and they were harassing women.

The bench said to file an FIR if they are molesting women. In response, the counsel replied that FIRs are not being registered. The bench asked the counsel to move before the concerned high court.

Senior advocate Shadan Farasat said that stray dogs have become an issue because of the failure of the state and it is a matter where the state has failed on its statutory duty to balance public safety and animal welfare, and elaborated on some suggestions to tackle the problem.

Farasat emphasised on strict implementation of ABC (Animal birth control) rules by the state with the help of municipal authorities.

Senior advocate Madhavi Divan also offered suggestions in connection with the stray dogs’ issue. Another counsel said colour-coded collars could be used to identify dogs that had bitten before, etc., and pointed out that this practice has been followed in countries like Georgia and Armenia. However, the bench replied: "What is the population of those countries? Please be realistic, counsel."

A counsel, appearing for a dog welfare organisation, said good results were seen in Bombay when it comes to capture-sterilise-vaccinate-release (CSVR), and added that the sterilisation program goes hand in hand with the control of aggressive behaviour.

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