The Meghalaya High Court said the dogs in the state are aggressive in nature, which poses danger for public safety, while requesting the Supreme Court of India to retain public interest litigation (PIL) on stray dogs.
The request came when the Apex Court sought similar PILs from various courts for consideration.
“Although many issues may be common between petitions concerning stray dogs in other high courts and in the Supreme Court, we feel that it is our duty to point out that in this State there is peculiar distinctiveness in the menace posed by stray dogs. We have been specifically told that quite a number of stray dogs are biter dogs and very vicious in nature. In roads, streets and other public places they attack persons suddenly and at times causing grave injury. Having heard those submissions in this public interest litigation, we had, inter alia, directed those dogs to be taken hold of by the public authorities, inoculated, vaccinated medically attended to and then kept in shelters for observation before setting them free. With dogs of this nature, freeing them without satisfaction that they have ceased to be biter dogs, and allowing them to frequent public places would pose grave danger to the public,” noted a division bench of Meghalaya high court comprising Chief Justice IP Mukerji and Justice W Diengdoh in its order passed on Saturday, as quoted by NDTV.
“In those circumstances, we direct the Registrar General of this Court to make a formal application before the Supreme Court on the basis of this order and seek appropriate directions with regard to
retention of this public interest litigation in this court. We strongly recommend that a public interest litigation of this character and nature be retained in this court because of its peculiar and distinctive feature,” reads the order, mentioning that the petition is listed for October 15.
