'Stray dogs get more attention than humans': SC flags surge in pleas in dog bite suo motu case

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday took note of the number of interlocutory applications being filed before it in the stray dogs case and said that so many applications normally don't come even in cases of humans. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta made the observations when two lawyers mentioned the stray dogs matter before it. One of the lawyers said they have filed an interlocutory application in the case. “So many applications normally don't even come in cases of humans,” Justice Mehta observed. The bench said the stray dogs matter is slated to come up for hearing before the apex court on Wednesday. When another lawyer mentioned a transfer petition in the matter, the top court said many pleas would be taken up for hearing on Wednesday, and the bench will hear all the lawyers. A three-judge special bench comprising Justices Nath, Mehta and N V Anjaria is slated to hear the matter on Wednesday.

Taking note of the “alarming rise” in dog bite incidents within institutional areas such as educational institutions, hospitals and railway stations, the apex court on November 7 last year directed forthwith relocation of stray canines to designated shelters after due sterilisation and vaccination. The bench also said the stray dogs so picked up shall not be released back in the place they were picked up. It directed the authorities to ensure the removal of all cattle and other stray animals from state highways, national highways and expressways. Recurrence of dog bite incidents within institutional areas, including sports complexes, reflected not only administrative apathy but also a "systemic failure" to secure these premises from preventable hazards, it said. The top court had passed a slew of directions in the suo motu case over the stray dog matter. It is hearing a suo motu case, initiated on July 28 last year, over a media report on stray dog bites leading to rabies, particularly among children, in the national capital.