The Supreme Court on Thursday responded sharply to objections raised by a petitioner in the stray dogs case against certain rules framed by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), which were described as “inhuman”.
The court said it would play a video at the next hearing, “asking you what is humanity”.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing in the matter, informed a bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta that a three-judge special bench scheduled to hear the case on Thursday had been cancelled.
“It will come on January 7,” Justice Nath said.
Sibal told the court that the MCD had, in the interim, framed rules that were “completely contrary”. Urging the bench to take up the matter on Friday, he said authorities did not even have adequate dog shelters. “It is very very inhuman what is being done,” Sibal submitted.
In an apparent reference to the stray dog menace, Justice Mehta said, “On the next date, we will play a video for your benefit and we will ask you what is humanity,”.
Sibal responded that the petitioners would also play a video to demonstrate the ground situation.
“The problem is your lordships has passed an order and we respect that. But the point is, there are statutory rules,” he said.
When the bench indicated that the matter would be taken up on January 7, Sibal cautioned that the authorities would begin implementing the rules in December itself.
“They will be implementing it and they will be removing the dogs. They don't have shelters,” he said.
Justice Nath replied, “It is alright Mr Sibal. Let them do it, we will consider.” The bench reiterated that it would hear the matter on January 7.
Earlier, on November 7, the apex court, taking note of the “alarming rise” in dog bite incidents in institutional areas such as educational institutions, hospitals and railway stations, directed the immediate relocation of stray dogs to designated shelters after due sterilisation and vaccination.
A three-judge special bench had also ruled that stray dogs picked up from such areas should not be released back at the same locations. The court further directed authorities to ensure the removal of all cattle and other stray animals from state highways, national highways and expressways.
It observed that the recurrence of dog bite incidents within institutional premises, including sports complexes, pointed not only to administrative apathy but also to a “systemic failure” to secure these areas from preventable hazards.
The directions were issued in a suo motu case initiated on July 28 following a media report highlighting stray dog bite incidents leading to rabies, particularly among children, in the national capital.