Supreme Court trashes Sharmila Tagores plea on stray dogs, calls it completely removed from reality
The Supreme Court strongly rejected Sharmila Tagore's stray dog management arguments, labelling them devoid of reality. The court dismissed her suggestions, like the AIIMS dog example and collar coding, prioritising public safety and practical solutions. Emphasising adherence to Animal Birth Control rules, the SC highlighted the challenges of balancing animal welfare with public health, rebuffing her 'one-size-fits-all' approach.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday frowned upon actor Sharmila Tagore’s arguments against a one-size-fits-all approach to handling the stray dog problem, calling them "completely removed from reality".
The apex court rejected the examples offered by Tagore to contest recent steps aimed at tackling stray dogs in public spaces, which she contended might not be the best solution.
"You are completely removed from reality. Don't try to glorify these dogs in hospitals," the Supreme Court said. The top court observed this after her lawyer cited the example of a friendly dog living on the AIIMS campus for several years.
What Tagore's lawyer said
Tagore’s lawyer had pointed out that there can certainly be dogs that need to be put to "sleep", but before that they should be identified as "aggressive" by a proper committee.
"We suggest an expert committee for considering the behaviour of dogs… Let’s see the difference between aggressive and normal dogs," Tagore’s lawyer said. The lawyer added, "There is a dog named ‘Goldie’ in AIIMS. She’s been there for many years."
What the apex court said
Addressing the AIIMS example put forward by Tagore as adequate justification for her stand, the apex court asked: "Was she being taken to the hospital operation theatre also? Any dog that's on the streets is bound to have ticks. And a dog with ticks in a hospital will have disastrous consequences. Do you understand? We'll let you know the reality of what is being argued."
"You are completely removed from reality. Don’t try to glorify these dogs in the hospitals," the court said.
Tagore's lawyer then made a suggestion to use colour-coded collars to mark dogs that had bitten people, as it is done in countries like Georgia and Armenia.
In a sharp response to the suggestion, the Supreme Court quipped: "What is the population of those countries? Please be realistic counsel."
On Thursday, the top court had clarified that it had not ordered the removal of all dogs from the streets, but had instructed authorities to deal with stray canines as per the Animal Birth Control (ABC) rules.
In her plea, Tagore had said that tackling stray dog issue required the help of science and psychology. "The ABC rules may not be foolproof, so it needs to be given a look… The answer is science, psychology, and a module-specific framework whereby dogs have to be captured and then released," her lawyer pointed out.
The court was told on Thursday that removing dogs from public spaces could cost the government up to Rs 26,800 crore.