The Supreme Court has reassigned the concerning stray dogs case to a new three-judge Bench headed by Justice Vikram Nath. The Bench will also include Justices Sandeep Mehta and NV Anjaria.
The matter, titled In Re: “City Hounded by Strays, Kids Pay Price”, was earlier heard by Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan. On August 11, that Bench had ordered the removal of all stray dogs from streets and public spaces in Delhi, NOIDA, Ghaziabad, Gurugram, and Faridabad.
The order also mandated that the animals be relocated to shelters and prohibited their release back onto the streets. The judges stressed that the exercise must be prioritised and completed without compromise.
They also warned that any person or organisation obstructing the process would face strict action, including contempt of court.
The suo motu case began after a series of rabies incidents and deaths from stray dog bites. The ruling sparked widespread protests from animal rights activists, who took to the streets in opposition.
On Monday, a lawyer told the Court that an appeal against a Delhi High Court judgment on stray dogs was already pending. The lawyer added that different Supreme Court benches had issued overlapping orders on the matter, creating the possibility of conflicting directions.
This includes rulings from a Bench led by Justices JK Maheshwari and Sanjay Karol in another stray dog case. The issue was brought to the attention of Chief Justice of India BR Gavai, who assured that he would look into it.
The matter will now be heard by the newly constituted Bench.
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