Abhishek Vij
The Supreme Court is currently hearing petitions related to stray dogs. There are two sides to the issue of stray dogs. One side consists of animal-loving citizens. They argue that dogs are “helpless creatures.” They cannot earn a living themselves, so it is the responsibility of citizens to provide for them. They should not be subjected to cruelty.
On the other hand, the situation is that in recent years, adequate shelters for stray animals have not been built in the country. Some people adopt dogs in the name of animal love, but the dogs are then seen roaming the streets. Due to their high reproduction rate, the number of dogs in every street and neighborhood quickly doubles or quadruples. While dogs are considered loyal, stray dogs become ferocious due to a lack of proper care and sustenance. Recently, there have been numerous reports of people being seriously injured and even dying from dog bites. The Supreme Court is concerned about such cases.
A three-judge bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and NV Anjaria is hearing the case. The bench stated that while they sympathize with people who show compassion towards animals, the number of children and adults dying due to the aggressive nature of dogs is constantly increasing. Therefore, someone must take responsibility for controlling them.
If they cannot collectively take responsibility for all stray dogs, then at least they should keep the dogs in their homes or premises. If people want to feed dogs out of compassion, why do it on the street? They should take them home and feed them there. Controlling dogs is also necessary because when they run unleashed on the roads, they cause accidents. Therefore, the groups that feed dogs can be asked why their compassion is only for dogs and not for humans? The bench is probably pointing to the abundance of poor people in the country and highlighting the irony that no one is yet ready to look after them.
Why are these generous feelings only for dogs and not for humans? The bench said that we dispense justice and cannot sit idly by while unfortunate incidents occur. That is why they had previously suggested that the state should build animal shelters for dogs or that dog lovers should take the dogs to their homes and feed them. The Supreme Court is looking for accountability after the incidents have occurred. The court says that the concerned authorities of the area should be held responsible for every such incident. They are guilty because why do they allow dogs to roam around and cause trouble? This irony has been going on for a long time.
The next hearing in this case will be on January 20. They said that the government should take cognizance of the states where such unfortunate incidents occur due to ferocious dogs, in which children or adults become victims of dog attacks. The state should provide substantial compensation to the innocent people who have been injured or disabled due to ferocious dogs. Justice Sandeep Mehta said that you talk about stray dogs, I wish someone would also talk about stray children. That’s true. In India, stray and orphaned children are seen begging at traffic signals and intersections due to lack of education and employment; their welfare should be prioritized