Supreme Court Says Those Feeding Stray Dogs Are Also Responsible

The Supreme Court, while hearing petitions related to the menace of stray dogs, made it clear on January 20 that it is taking the issue very seriously. During the hearing, a lawyer referred to the court’s earlier remarks where individuals feeding stray dogs were held responsible for dog bite and attack incidents.

The lawyer argued that sometimes court observations lead to unintended consequences. As an example, he mentioned that the court may have made the remark about holding dog feeders responsible in a sarcastic manner, but people were taking it literally. He added that in some cases, such remarks were being used as a pretext to assault people who feed stray dogs.

Responding to this, Justice Vikram Nath clarified that the statement was not made sarcastically. He emphasized that the observation was made with complete seriousness.

The Supreme Court also criticized former Union Minister Maneka Gandhi for commenting on the court’s order on January 20, stating that such remarks amounted to contempt of court. However, the court noted that it was exercising restraint by not initiating contempt proceedings.

These observations were made during the ongoing hearing related to the stray dog issue. The bench hearing the matter comprises Justice Vikram Nath, Justice Sandeep Mehta, and Justice N.V. Anjaria.

On January 20, arguments from dog lovers, animal welfare organizations, and victims of dog bite incidents were concluded. The court will hear submissions from state governments, Union Territories, and amicus curiae Gaurav Agrawal on January 28.