Kerala Street Dog Issue : Supreme Court Calls For Status Report From Justice Siri Jagan Commission, To Pass Interim Order On Sep 28

In the cases related to stray dog issue in Kerala, the Supreme Court on Friday called for a status report from the Justice Siri Jagan Commission- which was constituted by it in 2016 to deal with complaints relating to dog bites - and posted the matter on September 28 for hearing on interim relief.  

A bench comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna and JK Maheshwari was hearing a batch of appeals filed by the Animal Welfare Board of India and other parties against a 2015 judgment of the Kerala High Court which permitted capturing and destruction of stray dogs. 

 "A solution has to be found. I am also a dog lover and there are many other dog lovers here…What I had thought was that the people who feed dogs should be allowed to do so, they can keep a number or marking on the dog and they will be responsible for vaccinating them and bearing the cost if a person is attacked", Justice Sanjiv Khanna orally remarked when the hearing started.

The batch case was listed today following an urgent mentioning made by Advocate VK Biju on September 5, who highlighted the recent death of a minor girl in Kerala after attack by a rabid dog. 

During the hearing, Senior Advocate V Giri, appearing for the State, submitted that the situation was very grave and requested for allowing the destruction of dangerous dogs as per the Municipal and Panchayat laws. 

Advocate V. K. Biju implored the court to allow the taking down of ferocious dogs, "Please allow the part of the order of the Kerala High Court where it says that ferocious dogs can be taken out", he submitted.

The bench said that the procedure under the Central rules have to be followed. Justice Khanna stated that, "We have to accept that there is a problem. Dogs can become ferocious sometimes due to lack of food, sometimes they get infectious, we are not asking that they should not be put to sleep, in case of Rabies infected dogs that can be done and even for that permission has to be taken".

"I am not passing any order until and unless I have heard the parties", the judge clarified.