In Re Bruno: Kerala High Court Stays State's Decision To Transfer Funds To Kudumbashree To Manage Animal Birth Control

The Kerala High Court on Monday stayed the decision of the State to transfer funds to Kudumbashree (a women self-help group) to manage animal birth control in the State. 

A Division Bench of Justice A.K Jayasankaran Nambiar and Justice Gopinath P observed that before funds were transferred, it was pertinent to ascertain whether Kudumbashree was registered with the Animal Welfare Board, which is a statutory pre-condition.

Amicus Senior Advocate Ramesh Babu had put forth the said proposition on behalf of the State.

Following this, several animal rights organizations expressed their concerns contending that Kudumbashree members were not trained to perform castration of stray dogs and that they lacked the requisite facilities. 

The Bench, therefore, stayed the decision until it was ascertained whether they were competent to carry out the processes under Animal birth control. 

Other Discussions During the Hearing

The Court had issued additional guidelines and suggestions to improve the condition of animal welfare in the state last week. It was also declared that this matter will be heard bi-weekly till the directions were implemented efficiently.

One of the directions issued as such was the reconstitution of the State Animal Welfare Board. The Court expressed its reservations over constitution of a jumbo committee for the same and recommended that a Board with minimal composition would function better. 

Accordingly, it was suggested by the Division Bench that to ensure that all interests are represented in the Board, it was better to constitute one main body for the general welfare and a few sub-committees for specific causes. 

Another direction was to remove the posters which contained derogatory rules. When questioned about its progress, the counsel submitted that they have been removed. 

The Court had recently registered a suo motu PIL to monitor state action in reported instances of cruelty to animals and in the matter of prevention of cruelty to animals. Following this, notices were issued to the Centre, State, and Animal Welfare Board of India respectively.

During the proceedings, the Director-General of Prosecution submitted that the FIR had been registered in the matter of the hapless dog that succumbed to the inhuman acts of three youngsters. The Court clarified that it was not interfering with the investigation at this stage and that they will wait for the final report.

Case Title: In Re Bruno v. State of Kerala