Supreme Court Grills Dog Lovers on Stray Dog Bite Responsibility
The Supreme Court of India delivered sharp questions to dog lovers and feeders on Tuesday. The court pressed them about taking responsibility for injuries or deaths caused by stray dog bites. The bench indicated it plans to fix heavy compensation for victims in such cases.
Court Questions Priorities: Dogs Over Homeless People?
"For every dog bite, death or injury caused to children or elderly, we are going to fix heavy compensation for the victim," the court stated clearly. "This compensation will be paid by the state for not taking action. We will also impose liability and accountability on those who say they are feeding dogs."
The bench raised pointed questions about public safety. "Why should dogs be loitering around, biting people, scaring people?" the justices asked. "Who should be held accountable when dogs attack a nine-year-old child? The organization that is feeding them? You want us to shut our eyes to this problem?"
Hearing the stray dogs issue for the fourth consecutive day, a bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and N V Anjaria made striking observations. They noted that people show great sympathy toward stray dogs but not similar concern for homeless people and orphans. The justices pointed out that nobody comes forward to care for these vulnerable humans.
Lengthy Hearing Becomes "Public Platform"
The hearing has consumed nine hours so far and remains inconclusive. Approximately three dozen activists and lawyers have presented arguments in the case. The bench expressed frustration with the repetitive nature of the proceedings.
"Our request to all the lawyers is to allow us to take to task the Union, state authorities and other bodies on steps taken by them," the court pleaded. "Allow us to pass an order. We need to spend half a day with the states and the Union to see whether they have a plan of action or not."
The justices emphasized the growing scale of the problem. "The issue has multiplied a thousand times," they noted. "We just want implementation of statutory provisions. Allow us to do that. Allow us to work. Allow us to proceed further. The same things keep coming up again and again."
The bench made a telling observation about the nature of the hearing. "This has become a public platform rather than a court proceeding," they remarked.
Adoption Suggested for Both Dogs and Children
The Supreme Court suggested that people interested in feeding stray dogs should consider adopting them instead. They proposed keeping the animals in their own homes as a solution.
Meanwhile, lawyers presented startling figures about potential costs. Some advocates alleged that removing all strays from public institutions and housing them in shelter homes would cost around Rs 26,000 crore. They urged the court to consider using this substantial amount to help homeless people instead.
The court responded with a challenging question. It asked why people who show such sympathy toward animals do not reach out to support homeless humans.
Justice Sandeep Mehta shared a personal perspective from his time on the bench. "A young counsel just showed us statistics about orphans on the streets," he noted. "Perhaps some lawyers could argue for adoption of those children. Since 2011, since I was elevated to the Supreme Court, these are the longest arguments I have heard. And till now, nobody has argued so long for human beings."
Legal Heavyweights Present Arguments
Senior advocates Arvind Datar, Vikas Singh, Pinky Anand, Menaka Guruswamy, and Percival Billimoria argued the case along with other lawyers. The hearing will resume on Thursday as the court continues to grapple with this complex issue that pits animal welfare against public safety concerns.
The Supreme Court originally wanted to hold authorities accountable for failing to implement laws dealing with stray dogs. However, the large number of people presenting repetitive arguments has prevented the court from taking this action so far.
