Earlier this month, the Supreme Court ordered the removal of all the stray dogs from Delhi and put them in shelter homes, but the order led to social outrage and protests by animal activists that finally led to a stay on the outrageous order of 11th August. A three-judge bench changed the earlier order and stated that dogs should be left after being sterilised and vaccinated, and also added that the ones found having aggressive behaviour must not be released from shelter homes, and immunised properly.
In the order, the Supreme Court also asked the authorities to ensure that feeding in public spaces is stopped, and special places are made for feeding the dogs. The order to capture the dogs due to rising cases of rabies and child deaths came on 11th August, and later, a stay was imposed on the order. Delhi has a population of 1 million dogs, and India accounts for 36% cases of rabies in the world, as per data by the World Health Organisation. It was being argued that the earlier order went against the ABC rules, so in a revised order passed on Friday, the court stated that the dogs must be released from the captured site after being vaccinated, barring the aggressive and infected ones.
It has also been said that anyone found violating the order and feeding the dogs in public space will be penalised. The Supreme Court also emphasised cases on stray dogs pending in other states and said that it will form a national policy after hearing cases in different states. The new ruling is appreciated and welcomed by the public. The director of Humane World and Animals India, Alokparna Sengupta, talking about the order, called it “balanced, structured, and compassionate.”
She said that though the order is welcome, a scientific criterion needs to be formulated to distinguish aggressive dogs from normal ones. It will ensure the just use of the court order and protect harmless, innocent dogs from being captured by the authorities.
