New Delhi, – The Supreme Court received a fervent plea on Monday to take cognizance of the mounting issue of street dog attacks, following the attention drawn by Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud to the injury suffered by a lawyer attacked by stray dogs.
In a courtroom presided over by a bench comprising CJI DY Chandrachud and Justices PS Narasimha and Manoj Misra, concerns were expressed, and inquiries were made regarding the lawyer’s well-being and need for immediate medical attention.
The lawyer assured the bench of his well-being but narrated an incident where he was assailed by a group of five dogs during his morning walk in his neighborhood, resulting in an injury to his hand.
During a brief conversation, CJI Chandrachud recalled a similar incident from two years ago when one of his law clerks was attacked by street dogs while parking his car.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta brought up a viral video from Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad, where a 14-year-old boy, allegedly bitten by a neighbor’s dog a month ago, concealed the incident from his family and ultimately succumbed to the consequences.
Senior Advocate Vijay Hansaria, present during the Chief Justice’s courtroom proceedings, urged the apex court to take suo moto notice of this growing menace to ensure the safety of citizens.
It is worth noting that a batch of petitions related to street dogs is currently pending for consideration before another bench of the Supreme Court.
Recently, the Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights filed an intervention application before the apex court, seeking directives for state authorities to capture and euthanize suspected rabid and highly dangerous dogs, as well as demanding strict actions against irresponsible abandonment.
