Supreme Court says it will issue concrete guidelines for curbing stray dog attacks, hearing on Oct 1
New Delhi: The Supreme Court has expressed its intention to address the issue of curbing stray dog attacks in the country based on merits and to issue comprehensive guidelines rather than interim directions.
A bench comprising Justice J K Maheswari and Justice K V Viswanathan considered several matters, including a plea by the Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KeSCPCR), which cited an increase in stray dog attacks in Kerala, particularly against children. KeSCPCR sought directions to mitigate the menace, and the statutory body filed an intervention application in a pending civil appeal where the Kannur district panchayat requested directions to euthanize suspected rabid or extremely dangerous dogs in the district. The Supreme Court is reviewing five High Court orders in this batch of cases.
Justice J K Maheswari stated, "Our intention in this case is very clear. We don't want to give any interim directions. We want to go through the statute, rules, implementation, problems, and solutions and issue guidelines. Thereby, the litigation in other High Courts can be curtailed."
A recent affidavit by the Kannur Panchayat revealed that an estimated 30 stray dog bites are reported in the Kannur district daily. The Panchayat asserted that the humane euthanization of stray dogs is the only solution to the problem.
In a joint written submission by the Kannur Panchayat and the Calicut Municipal Corporation, it was argued that the Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules do not conflict with the powers of municipal authorities to manage stray dogs. There is no conflict between the provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, and the powers to manage stray dogs under the Panchayat Raj Act or Municipality Act, according to their argument.
Senior Advocate V Giri, representing the State of Kerala, highlighted the substantial issue of conflict between the Animal Birth Control Rules and local authority statutes. "There are two main arguments—one stating that the State statute will prevail, and only those rules of the Panchayat which are 'less irksome' will apply. The other side is saying, no, we stand apart, we have our own powers," added Justice K V Viswanathan.
The court observed that the issue extends beyond Kerala, with incidents occurring in Delhi, Noida, and Ghaziabad. A counsel in court submitted, "Even in reporting and in arguments, there must be some sensitivity."
The court directed the completion of service in the matter for it to be scheduled for a final hearing. Nodal officers were appointed for both sides to compile a list of counsels who will argue and the allotted time for each.
The matter has been postponed to October 18th for further proceedings.
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Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
