Different Supreme Court bench to hear stray dogs case today
What's the story
The Supreme Court has transferred the case concerning stray dogs to a new three-judge bench. The bench headed by Justice Vikram Nath will hear the case on Thursday. Justices Sandeep Mehta and NV Anjaria are also on the bench. The case was previously heard by a two-judge bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan, which had issued an order on August 11 for the removal of all stray dogs from Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram, and Faridabad.
Order backlash
Earlier bench ordered removal of dogs within 8 weeks
The earlier bench had ordered the removal of stray dogs within eight weeks and their relocation to shelters. The order was passed in a suo motu case after several rabies incidents and deaths due to stray dog bites. However, it faced widespread protests from animal rights activists. The case has since been mentioned twice before Chief Justice of India BR Gavai, who said he would examine it due to conflicting directions.
CJI intervention
Case mentioned twice in front of CJI Gavai
On Wednesday morning, a lawyer mentioned the matter, informing the court that an appeal is already pending against a Delhi High Court order concerning stray dogs. The counsel further said that different Supreme Court benches have issued orders on the matter, including one by Justices JK Maheshwari and Sanjay Karol. An NGO has also filed a plea seeking a recall and a stay on the direction on relocation of stray dogs, calling the previous SC order "impractical and illegal."
Stakeholder input
BJP MP Maneka Gandhi welcomed CJI's decision
BJP MP and animal rights activist Maneka Gandhi welcomed CJI's decision to look into the matter, calling the earlier order "rubbish" and "unworkable." Gandhi criticized the previous order and said it could not be implemented. She argued that removing dogs would not solve biting incidents or overpopulation issues. "If we remove three lakh animals from Delhi, three lakh more will come in within a week," she said. Gandhi urged the court to hear all stakeholders before making a decision.