SC refuses to stay MCD’s new policy for stray dogs

IT TURNED DOWN A REQUEST FOR AN EXPEDITED HEARING TO SCRUTINISE THE POLICY, WHICH WILL COME INTO EFFECT FROM DECEMBER 21

- Utkarsh Anand

The Supreme Court on Thursday declined to halt the Municipal Corporation of Delhi's (MCD) newly notified stray dog policy, which mandates revised sterilisation-and-release programme, imposes steep financial penalties on NGOs, and introduces compulsory designated feeding points across the city.

Rejecting a request for urgently examining the plea, a bench of justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta refused to advance the hearing and noted that the broader batch of cases on stray dogs is already scheduled for January 7.

The bench turned down senior advocate Kapil Sibal's request for an expedited hearing to scrutinise and suspend the policy, which will come into effect from December 21.

Sibal pointed out that the MCD's new rules would be operational well before the next date of hearing, and the bench responded tersely: “Let them do it. We will see the policy only when the matter comes up on the next date.”

Sibal argued that the implementation of the policy could lead to the removal of stray dogs in the absence of adequate shelters, calling the approach “inhuman”. He urged the court to take up the plea sometime next week.