Solicitor General Tushar Mehta on Thursday told the Supreme Court that over 37 lakh dog bites were reported across the country in a year, calling for an urgent resolution to address the growing public health concern posed by stray dogs.
Speaking before a three-judge bench, Mehta said, “Nobody is an animal hater. Children are dying. This issue needs to be resolved, not to be contested.”
The Supreme Court has commenced a hearing on petitions seeking a stay on the suo motu order passed by the Justice JB Pardiwala-led bench, which directed that no stray dogs should roam freely in the Delhi-National Capital Region.
The three-judge bench of the Supreme Court, comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and NV Anjaria, is hearing the matter titled In Re: “City Hounded by Strays, Kids Pay Price.”
On August 11, the Supreme Court directed the removal of all stray dogs from streets and public spaces in Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram, and Faridabad, their relocation to shelters, and a complete ban on releasing them back into the open.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta also informed the court, citing data on rabies deaths from the World Health Organization, which shows around 305 fatalities a year, most of them children under the age of 15.
He said, “Out of 100 species, only four are poisonous, and we don’t keep them at home. Dogs do not have to be killed; they have to be separated. Parents cannot send children out to play. Young girls are being mutilated.”
Responding to Tushar Mehta, senior advocate Kapil Sibal said, “This is the first time I hear the Solicitor General saying that laws are in place but need not be followed. ABC rules exist, and parliamentary legislation is in place, but let it not be implemented.”
“The question is: who is to comply with it? Have the municipal corporations built shelter homes? Have the dogs been sterilised? Money has been siphoned off, and no shelters exist. Such orders are suo motu, without notice. Now dogs are being picked up. You say once sterilised they should not be released, but this needs to be argued in depth. Let the suo motu order be stayed,” he added.
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