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Trying to make sense of the Supreme Court order on stray dogs in Delhi

  • The Supreme Court of India has directed the Government of Delhi, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), the New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) and appropriate authorities of Noida Gurugram and Ghaziabad to pick up stray dogs from all localities within the city and the outskirts.
  • A bench of justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadaven warned against returning the stray dogs to the streets. This runs contrary to the provision of the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023, according to which dogs picked up from an area should be dropped back in the same area after sterilisation/immunisation.
  • The spark that started the fire was a report on the “stray dog menace” published in the Times of India on July 28, of which the court took suo moto cognisance.
  • What were the animal rights’ activists doing when the court filed a PIL on the issue, you ask? Nothing, as the judges refused to entertain any interventions.
  • So, the 8 lakh stray dogs that are now picked up from the capital’s streets will be cared for in a humane environment in the numerous shelters run by the government available for the purpose, right? Wrong. There are no government shelters in the region; the ones that are there currently are those run by NGOs. The government has been directed to set up shelters for 5,000 to 6,000 dogs in the next six to eight weeks. Easy-peasy.
  • It’s just Delhi, right? Probably not. The same day the Rajasthan High Court, too, ordered civic bodies across the date to take steps to remove stray dogs and other animals from the street. Others may follow suit.

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