Lucknow Residents Protest SC Stray Dog Order, Demand Humane Coexistence

Speaking to ANI on Sunday, one protester appealed to the top court to recall and modify its order, stating that a scientifically and practically implementable solution was needed. She highlighted the lack of shelters for stray dogs and stressed that rabies outbreaks occur due to unvaccinated dogs, not the animals themselves.

She said, "We have a very simple request for the Supreme Court: please recall and reconsider the order you have issued and issue a new order with a scientific and humane approach, one that can actually be implemented. There are no shelters; where will the dogs be put? You haven't conducted vaccinations, yet you're saying that dog bites cause rabies. So, what is their fault in this?... We don't want these animals to suffer on the streets either, but the method of removing them should be humane..."

Another protester demanded that the court ensure dogs can live safely alongside humans without fear. He called for a society where humans and animals coexist equally.

"We demand that the court should take back its decision, and if they want to take any decision for dogs, they can pass such an order due to which dogs can live safely with us without any fear in a good environment... There should be a society where dogs and humans can coexist together... There should be equality for animals... We are fighting for them so that this situation doesn't arise again where we have to fight for their rights..." he said.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Maneka Gandhi criticised the apex court, calling its order a "disservice" to the nation for creating divisions over animal welfare.

"Supreme Court has created an atmosphere of hate across India... What the judges have done is wrong by simply dividing India into people who hate one or love one species; through this, they have done to disservice to India. The Animal Welfare Act is a very good act. They haven't removed the act. They have simply said that you can act against the act. This is not correct," she said.

The top court had directed states to remove stray dogs from hospitals, educational institutions, sports complexes, bus terminals, and railway stations, citing an alarming rise in dog bite incidents. The order followed a suo moto cognisance of the stray dog menace and was issued by a three-judge bench on August 22, modifying an earlier August 11 directive.

Under the August 22 order, stray dogs are to be released back to the same area after sterilisation and immunisation, except for rabid or aggressive dogs. The court also restricted public feeding of stray dogs and directed municipal authorities to create dedicated feeding spaces in each ward. It had further ordered that persons found feeding the dogs in contravention of its direction shall be liable to be proceeded with under the relevant framework.

The apex court had also expanded the scope of the proceedings on the menace of stray dogs and impleaded all states and Union Territories as parties to the case.

The August 11 order was limited to the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) area only. The three-judge bench order came on pleas seeking a stay of the August 11 two-judge bench order directing the removal of all stray dogs from localities in the Delhi-NCR region and their placement in shelter homes.

On August 11, the top court ordered that all localities in Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram, and Faridabad be made free of stray dogs, with no compromise. Additionally, it made clear that no captured animal would be released back into the streets.

- ANI