Taking a serious view of the brutal killings of stray dogs in several parts of Kerala, the Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the chief secretary to make sure that such killings do not happen in the future.
A bench of Justices Dipak Misra and Uday Lalit after taking on record photographs submitted on behalf of animal activists, asked the chief secretary to file an action taken report on the killings.
The bench said the photographs showed that dogs are lying dead and they are taken in a procession tied to a pole. “We do not intend to comment on these photos” but the chief secretary must ensure that stray dogs are killed only in accordance with the procedure contemplated under the law. Senior counsel V. Giri, appearing for the State submitted that there are municipal laws to deal with strays and there is a conflict between these laws and the central law. Justice Misra told the counsel that the “law does not prohibit culling of stray dogs but it must be done in accordance with the law. A balance has to be struck. Life of human beings should have precedence over stray dogs but stray dogs cannot be treated with indignity.”
On behalf of advocate Prashant Bhushan, an application was filed for directions regarding the barbaric killings of stray dogs in Kerala by private individuals. The court took on record this application and sought Kerala’s reply to it. The court had already directed the state governments and local bodies to strictly follow the laws governing stray dogs, including those suffering from rabies and terminal illnesses or creating nuisance by biting people, and stay away from any innovative methods till the disposal of the petitions.
