‘I will look into this’: Chief Justice BR Gavai on Supreme Court order on stray dogs

The Supreme Court directed Delhi-NCR authorities to relocate all stray dogs to shelters “at the earliest” attracting a lot of mixed reactions to the ruling. Following requests from many politicians, activists and actors, Chief Justice of India (CJI) Justice BR Gavai has assured a relook at the issue.

Trinamool Congress MP Saket Gokhale on Tuesday wrote to Chief Justice BR Gavai, appealing to him for a stay on directions by the Supreme Court. Actor John Abraham also on Tuesday wrote a letter to Gavai, urging a review and modification of the recent Supreme Court directive ordering removal of street dogs from the Delhi NCR region.

Several politicians and celebrities, including Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, actors Janhvi Kapoor and Varun Dhawan, and filmmaker Siddharth Anand have expressed their disapproval of the order.

While the Delhi government said it would seek suggestions from stakeholders before framing a detailed plan to relocate street dogs, officials noted the civic bodies will start the process of implementing the apex court’s order in a phased manner after Independence Day.

What the SC said?

Hearing a suo motu case initiated on July 28 over stray dog bites leading to rabies in the national capital, the apex court on Monday directed authorities to remove all stray dogs from Delhi-NCR localities and put them in shelters, while saying the canines won’t return to the streets.

A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan passed a slew of directions and warned of strict action, including contempt proceedings, against anyone obstructing the process.

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