Chandigarh – 18.6.2019 – Social Activists from Punjab, Haryana and UT Chandigarh, are sending representations to the Chief Justice of India for seeking day to day hearing of SLP pending there, pertaining to menace of stray dogs.
At the instance of Social Activist-cum- Advocate H.C. Arora, a number of social activists have sent representations /appeals to the Chief Justice of India, requesting that the SLP (Civil) No. 691 of 2009 (Animal Welfare Board of India Vs. People for Elimination of Stray Troubles and others), filed by Animal Welfare Board of India, which is pending for the last 10 years on the issue of eradicating the menace of stray dogs, be taken up for expeditious hearing. The social activists include (i) Dr. A.S. Mann (Sangrur) (President Scientific Awareness and Social Welfare Forum); (ii) Dr. Sandeep Gupta (Hisar); (iii) Karanvir Shenty Thaman (Banur); (iv) Gagandeep Singh Thrikke (Ludhiana); (v) S.M. Bhanot (Chandigarh) (President RTI Federation; and (vi) H.C. Arora, himself has also sent an appeal to the Chief Justice yesterday, making the same request.
That activists in their almost identical representations addressed to the Chief Justice of India, have averred that in the aforesaid SLP, on 18.11.2015, an interim order was passed by the Supreme Court of India, requesting all the High Courts, not to pass any order relating to 1960 Act (The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960) and 2001 Rules (The Animal Birth Control Rules, 2001), pertaining to stray dogs. As a result of the aforesaid interim order, as and when some PIL comes for hearing before Punjab and Haryana High Court, the respondent-States refer to the aforesaid interim order dated 18.11.2015, with the result that the PILs or/Writ Petitions filed by social activists or the dependent members of the family of the victim of stray dog bite get stalled and are adjourned sine die. It is in these circumstances that the social activists have called upon the Chief Justice of India to intervene in the matter and to take appropriate steps for expediting the hearing of the aforesaid SLP (C, so that various High Courts may start entertaining various writ petitions/PILs pending with them, in the light of whatever decision may be given by the Supreme Court in the aforesaid SLP.