- The Supreme Court warned states of compensation for every dog bite deaths or injuries to children and elderly
- Justice Vikram Nath stated dog feeders will be held liable for incidents caused by stray dogs
- The court told both parties to avoid turning hearings into public platforms
The Supreme Court on Tuesday continued to hear the stray dogs case, with the top court bench warning that for every dog bite, death, or injury caused to any children or elderly, they will likely fix compensation on the state for "not doing anything".
According to Justice Vikram Nath, those who feed dogs will be held accountable, adding that the top court has become a "public platform" for the issue rather than a court proceeding.
"We need to spend half a day with the States and Union. To see whether they have a plan of action or not. We just want implementation of statutory provision. Allow us to do that. This has become a public platform rather than a court proceeding. For every dog bite, for every death, we will be likely fixing heavy compensation for states for not making requisite arrangements. And also liability to dog feeders," the top court bench said.
The remark came in response to advocate Menaka Guruswamy, who called the stray dogs issue an "emotional matter".
"Emotions so far seem to be only for dogs," the bench told her. To this, Guruswamy responded: "That's not the case. I am equally concerned about humans".
"Good. Do it, take them (dogs) to your house. Why should dogs be littering around, biting, scaring people?" Justice Nath questioned.
The last hearing on the stray dogs case was held on Friday (January 9) - when the top court bench advised a counsel that it did not want the proceedings to turn into a competition between instances of animal cruelty and dog attack videos.
Amid the rising dog bite incidents, the Supreme Court, on November 7, last year, ordered the removal of stray dogs from educational institutions, hospitals, bus stands, sports complexes, and railway stations, directing that the canines be sent to designated dog shelters. The bench, which is monitoring stray dog-bite incidents through a suo motu proceeding, directed the authorities to prevent the dogs from entering the premises of government and public institutions. It also said that they must not be released back to the same place where they were picked up.
The court had directed the local municipal authorities to carry out regular inspections of all premises to ensure no stray dog habitat exists. It had said recurrence of dog bite incidents within institutional areas, including sports complexes, reflected not only administrative indifference but also a "systemic failure" to secure these premises from preventable hazards.
Supreme Court's Delhi verdict
The top court, in July last year, had ruled that all stray dogs in Delhi and adjoining regions must be shifted away from residential localities to shelters, given the rising cases of dog bites leading to rabies deaths. According to the court, the dog shelters must have professionals who can tackle dogs, carry out sterilisation and immunisation, and not let the canines out. Terming the stray dog menace in the city as "extremely grim", the Supreme Court had warned that any individual or organisation blocking the picking up of stray dogs by authorities will face the "strictest action".
In another hearing, it had directed that the animals would be released back into the same area after sterilisation and immunisation. However, the three-judge bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and NV Anjaria had made it clear that the relocation would not apply to dogs infected with rabies or suspected to be infected with rabies and those displaying aggressive behaviour.
The court had also directed the municipal authorities to create a dedicated feeding space where people can feed stray dogs, adding that public feeding will not be allowed - and if violated, strict action would follow.
