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Stop culling of strays, Supreme Court tells Kerala

The bench said the photographs showed that dogs were lying dead and they were taken in a procession tied to a pole.

New Delhi: Taking a serious view of the brutal killings of stray dogs in several parts of Kerala, the Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the chief secretary to make sure that such killings do not happen in the future. A bench of Justices Dipak Misra and Uday Lalit, after taking on record photographs submitted on behalf of animal activists, asked the chief secretary to file an action-taken-report on the killings. The bench said the photographs showed that dogs were lying dead and they were taken in a procession tied to a pole.

“We do not intend to comment at these photos” but the chief secretary must ensure that stray dogs are killed only in accordance with the procedure contemplated under the law. Senior counsel V. Giri, appearing for the state submitted that there are municipal laws to deal with stray dogs and there is conflict between these laws and the central law. Justice Misra told the counsel, “law does not prohibit culling of stray dogs but it must be done in accordance with law. A balance has to be struck. The life of human beings should have precedence over stray dogs but stray dogs cannot be treated with indignity.”

On behalf of advocate Prashant Bhushan, an application was filed for directions regarding the barbaric killings of stray dogs in Kerala by private individuals and the court took on record this application and sought Kerala’s reply to it. The court had already directed the state governments and local bodies to strictly follow the laws governing stray dogs, including those suffering from rabies and terminal illnesses or creating nuisance by biting people, and stay away from any innovative methods till the disposal of the petitions.

The Animal Welfare Board of India, which is the petitioner in several cases, submitted that stray dogs should not be killed indiscriminately as man has been using the canine specie in a variety of ways for centuries. It submitted a copy of the model law to be followed by all concerned. The bench asked the centre to respond and posted the matter for further hearing on November 17.

( Source : Deccan Chronicle. )
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