New Delhi: Animal rights activists on Monday, June 8, raised concerns over the recent Supreme Court directions on the relocation of stray dogs from public spaces, alleging that it could weaken safeguards against cruelty to animals.
Addressing a press conference organised by the Conference for Human Rights (India) in New Delhi, the activists said the focus should be on strengthening sterilisation and vaccination programmes rather than removing dogs from their habitats.
They argued that the present situation was the result of years of inadequate implementation of animal birth control and anti-rabies measures by civic authorities.
The activists also announced a protest at Jantar Mantar on June 13 to voice their concerns over the court’s directions and their implementation.
Speaking at the event, advocate Nanita Sharma said certain provisions of the order granted protection to officials implementing the directions but did not clearly specify mechanisms to determine whether actions were carried out in “good faith” or with “mala fide intent”.
She questioned who would monitor the implementation process and ensure that relocated animals were not subjected to cruelty.
The crisis should not be viewed as a “dog menace”, but as a consequence of administrative failures, including inadequate sterilisation and vaccination efforts, Sharma said, stressing the need for compassion towards animals.
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Anu Pandey, a professor at the University of Delhi, said educational institutions had long coexisted with community dogs and that students often played a key role in feeding, vaccinating and sterilising them.
She claimed that universities and college campuses across Delhi had managed to maintain a balance between human activity and the presence of stray dogs for decades.
Pandey also highlighted what she described as widespread misinformation about rabies, saying public fear often escalated after dog-bite incidents. She maintained that vaccination and awareness, rather than displacement of animals, were essential to addressing concerns related to stray dogs.
The activists urged authorities to prioritise scientific animal population management measures and ensure that animal welfare remained central to any policy decisions arising from the court’s order.
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