Contempt of court: SC slams former Union Minister Maneka Gandhi for criticising stray dog order
Maneka Gandhi slammed the apex court's order in the stray dog case. Noting the importance of public safety in places like schools, hospitals, and railway stations, the SC had directed that stray dogs be removed from the premises of those places.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court's recent order in the stray dog case has ignited a raging debate in the country, with many people criticising the judgment.
Former Union Minister Maneka Gandhi was one of them who expressed dissatisfaction at the order. The apex court on Tuesday said that her remarks qualified as "contempt", but it had decided not to proceed with the charges "due to its magnanimity." Also, the top court questioned Maneka over her role in getting "budgetary allocation" to solve the stray dogs problem.
What did Maneka Gandhi say about the SC order?
Maneka Gandhi slammed the apex court's order in the stray dog case and said, "This is as bad as or even worse than Justice Pardiwala's judgment. This cannot be put into practice. If 5000 dogs are removed, where will you keep them? You need 50 shelters."
She spoke on the feasibility of the order's execution and added, "But you do not have that. You need people to pick them up. What difference will removing 5000 dogs make? If there are 8 lakh dogs here, what will removing 5000 dogs change? The question is that if this were possible, it would have been done."
What was the order of the SC?
The recent rise in dog bite cases in Delhi-NCR prompted the Supreme Court to review the stray canine issue. Noting the importance of public safety in places like schools, hospitals, and railway stations, the SC had directed that stray dogs be removed from the premises of those places. It is directed that dogs should be sterilised and should not be returned to the same areas.
The top official also said that those feeding stray dogs should be responsible for mitigating the problem, and also questioned who would be blamed if a dog attacks someone. It added that those caring for stray dogs should adopt them as licensed pets.