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News18
4 days ago
- Politics
- News18
No Cruelty, Mistreatment Or Starvation: SC Lists Strict Guidelines For Delhi Dogs Order
The Supreme Court order mandated that dogs should not face mistreatment, cruelty, or substandard care. The Supreme Court on Wednesday released a comprehensive written order elaborating on its August 11 verdict. This order provided detailed guidelines to ensure the welfare of captured stray dogs, highlighting that these animals should never face mistreatment, cruelty, overcrowding, starvation, or neglect. The detailed order was issued as the suo motu case concerning the stray dog menace was transferred from the bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan to a new three-judge bench led by Justice Vikram Nath. The court reiterated that all stray dogs in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) must be promptly rounded up and housed in shelters, prohibiting their release back onto the streets. Authorities were instructed to prevent overcrowding and ensure continuous care for the animals. The order mandated that dogs should not face mistreatment, cruelty, or substandard care. Civic agencies and personnel at dog shelters were directed to avoid overcrowding, maintain constant monitoring, and provide adequate, regular feeding. Trained veterinarians are required to give timely medical care, and vulnerable or weak animals should be housed separately whenever possible. The written order also detailed minimum staffing standards, record-keeping, and identification procedures. The court acknowledged public concerns prompting its intervention and emphasised that the round-up exercise followed prolonged deliberation, not impulsive action. The court acted after concluding that there had been a systematic failure by authorities over the past two decades to address a public safety issue. Balancing human safety with animal welfare, the court dismissed what it termed 'virtue signalling" by some stakeholders, urging genuine supporters to volunteer in shelters. The directions were for the welfare of both humans and dogs, the court noted, calling upon the public and animal-welfare organisations to responsibly assist in running the shelters. Regarding adoptions raised during the August 11 hearing, the written order authorised adoption schemes but only after rigorous vetting according to the Standard Protocol for Adoption of Community Animals dated May 17, 2022, from the Animal Welfare Board of India. Adoptions must ensure permanent rehoming without releasing animals back into public spaces. The original oral order, now fully incorporated, had instructed authorities in Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, and Gurugram to establish shelters for at least 5,000 dogs within six to eight weeks and begin immediate capture operations. The written version added Faridabad to the list and mandated a helpline for dog-bite complaints, ensuring offending animals are picked up within four hours. The bench warned that obstructing the capture programme would be treated as contempt of court. The court criticised the Animal Birth Control rules that require sterilised animals to be released back into the same locality, questioning why sterilised animals should return to places where they continue to menace residents. The detailed written order highlighted the court's concern for vulnerable human groups like visually impaired persons, children, the elderly, and the homeless, who are especially at risk from dog attacks and have limited access to post-exposure treatment. The court emphasised that the law must safeguard the rights and security of every individual, particularly those at the margins. The litigation began suo motu following media reports of a child's death from rabies after a dog bite. The bench frequently cited alarming statistics on dog-bite incidents, especially involving infants and the elderly. The issue has sparked intense public debate, with divisions between animal-welfare advocates and residents' associations, as well as among municipal officials tasked with implementation. By explicitly codifying welfare standards and operational protocols, the court aims to ensure the stray dog round-up does not lead to abuse or neglect, while also addressing long-standing public safety concerns. view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
India Today
4 days ago
- Politics
- India Today
Larger Supreme Court bench to hear Delhi dogs case tomorrow amid backlash
The Supreme Court on Wednesday shifted the suo motu case regarding stray dogs in Delhi-NCR to a newly constituted three-judge bench, which will hear the matter case, earlier being heard by a different bench, will now be taken up by a special bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and NV Anjaria. 'The judges who passed the order are not part of the bench,' the court special bench will hear multiple petitions related to the stray dog issue, including fresh pleas against the rounding up of strays. In total, four cases are listed before this bench for tomorrow. These include the suo motu case, a 2024 petition that was mentioned before the court earlier, and another PIL mentioned today. The Supreme Court on Monday directed civic authorities in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) to immediately catch and sterilise stray dogs and relocate them permanently to shelters. In a stern directive, the court said the order must be implemented without DOG SHELTERS IN EIGHT WEEKSDirecting immediate action, the court instructed the Delhi government, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, NDMC, and the appropriate authorities of Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram, and Faridabad to create dog shelters/pounds and report to the court on the creation of such infrastructure across the National Capital Region within eight shelters must have sufficient personnel to sterilise, deworm, and immunise stray dogs, and to care for them without releasing them back onto the streets, colonies, or public places. All shelters will be monitored by CCTV to ensure no dogs are released or taken court further directed authorities to start by creating shelters for 5,000 dogs in the next six to eight weeks, calling it a 'progressive exercise' that would require expanding capacity over OF DOGS HAS CONCERNS OF WELL-BEING'We are mindful that relocation of dogs has concerns of well-being,' the court observed, stressing that stray dogs 'should not be subjected to cruelty, mistreatment, or starvation' and 'should at no point be left completely unmonitored.'The court said it was 'sympathetic to their lives as well' and made it clear that no overcrowding should occur in shelters. Authorities must ensure that dogs are adequately and regularly fed, with at least two responsible personnel present at all times, supported by a proper duty medical care from trained veterinarians must be provided, and vulnerable or weak dogs should be housed separately where COURT ON ADOPTION OF DOGS AT SHELTERSThe court said it would be open to authorities to decide on the viability of implementing an adoption scheme for dogs kept at shelters, in line with the Standard Protocol for Adoption of Community Animals dated May 2022 issued by the Animal Welfare Board of the court made it clear that 'no such adoption should result in the re-release of a stray dog back onto the streets' and warned, 'If we find even a single infraction of such kind, we will proceed to take the strictest of action against the official responsible as well as the individual.'- EndsTune InMust Watch IN THIS STORY#Delhi
