Stray dog menace on HC premises irks law officers, advocates

CHENNAI: Law officers and lawyers of the Madras High Court are facing a challenge, one they did not foresee but somehow managed to navigate for the past few years. The 160-year-old premises is now a den for stray dogs.

While many lawyers want the canines out of the premises, animal rights activists and corporation authorities point to a Supreme Court order and the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, both of which offer protection to stray dogs on the campus.

Most of the staff and law officers recall “bad” experiences with the strays around the court. “We usually leave for the day around 6 pm. We cannot even walk to our car or bike without these dogs growling and barking at us. It’s scary when there are more than a few together,” said R Krishnakumar, secretary, Madras High Court Advocate Association (MHAA). “Some of these dogs are not even vaccinated. Many of them charge towards us whenever we cross them within the premises. It’s scary”

Defecation is another problem with strays. “They’re not only aggressive but they also urinate and defecate all over the court. It’s an eye-sore and unhygienic. And, the foul odour remains throughout the day,” he added.

Officials at the Chennai corporation claim that these dogs were sterilised, but Krishnakumar refuses to believe that. “In the last 5 years, the number of stray dogs has increased,” he stated. “Dogs from the area also invade into the campus at night because of improper fencing.”

“When we try to relocate the dogs from the court, animal activists and some judges object to it stating that moving them to another neighbourhood is an act of cruelty,” said a law officer. “Feeding them with leftovers food keeps them coming back to the premises.”

Even if the Corporation was telling the truth about sterilisation, it’s certainly not monitoring them in the court, allege officials. “We accept the GCC’s claim that the animals are vaccinated and sterilised. So, where do these puppies comes from? They grow up and become aggressive towards us,” rued another official. “We don’t have enough manpower to monitor and restrict the entry of dogs into the premises. The Chennai corporation has to do something about this menace.”

When DT Next contacted B Hari, the MHC registrar (administration), about these allegations from the court officers, he said, “The High Court is in touch with the Corporation to take adequate action and control the stray dogs”.

Animal activist and MHC lawyer LN Pragasam accused the corporation of being lackadaisical in controlling the canine population, which has led to its growth in large numbers. “The dog pounds run by the Corporation are poorly maintained. They don’t have adequate operation rooms and doctors to treat the dogs,” he said. “Almost 2 months back, two dogs in the court premises died due to Canine Distemper. The Corporation had taken them from the court for an operation. But, after the operation, the dogs developed symptoms of CD and died.”

During the Corporation Council meeting last month, Corporation Commissioner J Radhakrishnan had said that the civic body was taking steps to address the issue and assured intensified vaccination. “Animal lovers in the court are resisting dog catchers. We’re trying many ways to sterilise them. Unfortunately, the law stipulates that they should be released in the same spot after the sterilisation, which may not change the behaviour of every dog. The ultimate solution to the stray dog problem is adoption. Every animal lovers or activist should campaign for stray dog adoption,” he explained.