Not shying away on stray dogs, but won’t allow scope expanded: SC

NEW DELHI: Dealing with pleas including those on culling stray dogs, the Supreme Court said on Wednesday it was not shying away from handling issues related to orders passed by various civic bodies regarding untamed canines, especially in Kerala and Mumbai, but will not allow the scope of the matter under consideration to be expanded.

The apex court is considering a batch of petitions, including those relating to the provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, the Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules, 2001 and the Kerala Municipality Act, 1994.

While one of the pleas has raised the issue of culling stray dogs in Kerala, some other petitions pertain to the Bombay High Court’s 2022 observation about those interested in their protection and welfare, including feeding them, putting them up in dog shelter homes and bearing expenses for their maintenance.

The court observed that the parties before it should go through the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023 as many of the issues raised before it may get resolved by a simple perusal.

“Let us also clarify one thing. We are not shying away from dealing with the issue but we will not allow the scope to be expanded,” a bench of justices JK Maheshwari and Sanjay Karol said.