In its order, the Bombay High Court’s Nagpur bench on Friday issued directions for public feeding of dogs. The judicial bench also directed civic officials to take severe action against anyone impending on their duties to tackle stray dogs’ menace.
The order is significant as it comes days after a stray dog mauled an infant, eventually leading to death.
Nagpur Bench on Stray Dogs
The bench of Justices Sunil Shukre and Anil Pansare heard the matter in a PIL filed by an activist named Vijay Talewar.
The bench ruled that no person in Nagpur or surrounding areas may feed a stray dog. If anyone is interested, he/she should first adopt the animal and register it with the Municipal authority.
The court directed the Commissioner of Nagpur Municipal Corporation to act against anyone found publicly feeding stray dogs. “No feeding of stray dogs takes place anywhere except at dog feeder’s house or dog shelter homes”, the bench observed.
The order by the Nagpur bench of the Bombay HC arrives days after a stray dog mauled a 7-month-old-infant in Noida.
Increasing incidents of dog bites have fueled a new debate on stray dogs and dog lovers. According to data, since 2019, a total of 1.5 crore cases of dog bites have been reported.
With 27.52 lakh cases, UP, which has the most stray animals, has registered the most incidents, followed by Tamil Nadu (20.7 lakh) and Maharashtra (15.75 lakh).
The latest order by the Nagpur bench might change the irresponsible behaviour of certain dog lovers.
