SC stays Bombay HC observations prohibiting feeding of stray dogs

New Delhi, Nov 15: The Supreme Court on Wednesday observed that nobody should stop feeding stray dogs and stayed certain observations of the Bombay High Court.

The Bombay High Court had earlier made observation that those interested in protection and welfare of stray dogs, including feeding them, in Nagpur must adopt or put them up in dog shelter homes and bear expenses for their maintenance. "You cannot insist that people who want to feed them must adopt them," the court observed orally during the hearing.

The bench comprising Sanjiv Khanna and JK Maheshwari also directed the Nagpur Municipal Corporation to measures for the general public to feed stray dogs at appropriate locations, demarcated and identified by them.

"If these so called friends of stray dogs are really interested in protection and welfare of the stray dogs, they must adopt the stray dogs, take home the stray dogs or at least put them up in some good dog shelter homes and bear all the expenses for their registration with Municipal Authorities and towards their maintenance, health and vaccination," the Bombay High Court had earlier observed.

Responding to the aforementioned observation, the SC said, "Where do street dogs live and do the canine have any residences to live in?" It further stated that street dogs are not meant to be kept in captivity and one cannot insist that people who feed dogs must adopt them.

The court said till the next date of hearing, it will be open to the municipal corporation to note down names and details of those creating public nuisance by feeding stray dogs. "Further, it will be open to the municipal corporation to also deal with the issue of nuisance caused by the stray dogs in accordance with law," the bench said in the interim order.