SC Rejects Plea on Alleged Cruelty in Dog Birth Control Centres

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain a plea seeking a direction to the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) to take effective action to address the issue of cruelty to dogs in animal birth control centres and shelters.

The apex court dismissed the plea which also sought a direction to the Centre, all states and Union Territories (UTs) to ensure that no municipal body or local authority engages any animal welfare organisation for conducting animal birth control



operations unless it holds a valid project recognition certificate from the AWBI.

In its November last year order, the top court had taken note of an "alarming rise" in dog bite incidents within institutional areas like educational institutions, hospitals and railway stations, and directed the forthwith relocation of stray canines to designated shelters after due sterilisation and vaccination. It had passed the directions in a suo motu case over the stray dog menace