Supreme Court flags rising dog bite cases, slams ABC rule failure

The Supreme Court on Wednesday (January 7) expressed concern over the increasing number of incidents of dog bites as it chided municipal authorities and other local bodies for failing to implement the Animal Birth Control (ABC) rules. The development took place during the hearing of the suo motu case initiated by the top court on the stray dogs issue.

‘People are dying’

"We are conscious that these things are happening. Children, adults are getting bit, people are dying," the bench said as quoted by the Bar and Bench.

The court further stated that in the last 20 days, two animal-related accidents have taken place involving judges adding that the condition of one of the judges is serious.

Also Read: SC notes surge in stray dog pleas, says human cases see fewer filings

"One of the judges is still suffering through spinal injuries. It’s a very serious issue," it added.

During the hearing the court was informed that stares like Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Punjab have not yet filed complaisance affidavits.

Sibal’s ‘man eating tiger’ argument

Representing a petitioner, senior advocate Kapil Sibal argued that the response to the issues should be executed in such a way that is reflective of a responsible society.

"We are here as dog lovers. If one tiger is a man eater we don’t kill all tigers. We must make sure that sterilization takes place, the population must come down,” said Sibal.

Also Read: Stopping stray dog feeding in non-designated areas is not illegal: Bombay HC

“There is a process for that. It’s called CSVR model accepted throughout the world. It’s called Capture, Sterilise, Vaccinate, Release. It has brought down dog population in states like UP to almost zero. If we have dogs who have rabies and who don’t have rabies in the same shelter, all of them will get rabies," he added.

‘You are lucky’: SC to Sibal

When Sibal said that he has never been bitten by dogs while visiting places like temples, the bench responded saying "You are lucky. People are being bitten, children are being bitten."

"We have to live with the animals. If we encroach into their space, they will bite,” replied Sibal.

Also Read: SC directs stray dogs be moved from institutional areas to designated shelters

During his argument the remarked "only thing missing is providing counseling to the dogs as well. So that he doesn’t bite when released back". To this Sibal said that he understands that remark was made in a lighter vein.

When Sibal argued that the dogs are not on the roads but inside compounds the bench responded saying “Are you serious? Your information seems to be outdated. Prevention is always better than cure. The roads have to be clear and cleaned of dogs. They might not bite but they still cause accidents."

The backdrop

Earlier in the day, amicus curiae Gaurav Agarwal informed the Court that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to implement the court’s order of removal of stray animals from the highways across India has prepared a standard operating procedure (SOP)

"There’s 1,400 odd km of vulnerable stretch. After detecting, the NHAI says that the State government has to take care," Agarwal said.

Last year, a bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan directed Delhi municipal authorities to round up and lodge stray dogs in shelters. The order drew widespread protests from animal rights activists and was later modified by the court.