SC seeks Karnataka local body's response over stray dog killings

Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Friday sought the response of Karnataka's Sakleshpur municipality to a contempt petition alleging the killing of about 350 stray dogs in violation of the top court's 2015 order.

The bench of Justice N.V. Ramana and Justice Mohan M. Shantanagoudar sought the response of the municipality in Hassan district on a petition by Neveena Kamath, an animal rights activist.

Advocate Siddhartha K. Garg, who appeared for the petitioner, contended that the actions of the Chief Officer Wilson V.T. of the Sakleshpur Town Municipal Council was a "direct assault on the sanctity of a judicial order of the top court".

Kamath pleaded that the Chief Officer, in 2017, invited tenders to catch and relocate stray and sick dogs out of the municipality limits. The contract was awarded to one George Robert and on the completion of the work payment was made to him.

The petitioner has contended that relocating the stray and sick dogs outside the municipal limits was in breach of the provision of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 and the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2001 as the law says that after sterilizing and vaccinating the stray dogs they should be relocated from where they were caught.

However, the local police lodged an FIR on January 3 which alleges that "George Robert had buried 350 dogs at Sakleshpur Cemetery Ground".

The FIR names both Sakleshpur Town Municipal Council and George Robert as the two accused, the petitioner said.

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