The Meghalaya High Court has directed its Registrar General to request the Supreme Court to allow it to continue hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) related to the issue of stray dogs [Kaustav Paul v The State of Meghalaya & Ors]..A Division Bench of Chief Justice IP Mukerji and Justice W Diengdoh passed the order after it was informed that the top court on August 22 ordered the transfer of all pending cases related to stray dogs from all High Courts to itself. Since 2024, the Meghalaya High Court has been hearing a PIL concerning stray dogs. .In an order passed in the PIL on August 20, the Division Bench said that it is the Court's duty to point out that there is peculiar distinctiveness in the “menace posed by stray dogs” in Meghalaya.“We have been specifically told that quite a number of stray street dogs are biter dogs and very vicious in nature. In roads, streets and other public places, they attack persons suddenly and at times causing grave injury,” it added..The Court recounted that it had earlier directed these dogs to be taken hold of by the public authorities, inoculated, vaccinated, medically attended to and then kept in shelters for observation before setting them free. “With dogs of this nature, freeing them without satisfaction that they have ceased to be biter dogs, and allowing them to frequent public places would pose grave danger to the public,” it said.Thus, the Court directed its Registrar General to make a formal application before the Supreme Court and seek appropriate directions with regard to retention of this PIL before the High Court. “We strongly recommend that a public interest litigation of this character and nature be retained in this Court because of its peculiar and distinctive feature,” it said..The issue concerning stray dogs hogged the limelight after a Supreme Court Bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan on August 11 ordered the municipal authorities in Delhi to begin rounding up stray dogs from all areas, and to establish shelters within eight weeks.However, following widespread protests by animal rights activists and dog lovers, the case was assigned to another Bench headed by Justice Vikram Nath.The three-judge Bench led by Justice Nath on August 22 modified the August 11 order. The Bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and NV Anjaria ordered that the dogs shall be released from dog shelters after being dewormed and vaccinated. It also expanded the scope of the case beyond the confines of New Delhi and the NCR region and directed that all pending cases related to stray dogs be transferred from High Courts to the Supreme Court."We are also informed that numerous writ petitions/suo moto petitions are pending in various High Courts, more or less dealing with common issues. Hence, the Registry shall seek information about such pending writ petitions from the Registrar Generals of all the High Courts, and thereafter, these writ petitions shall stand transferred to this Court for analogous consideration along with the main matter," the top court ordered..Advocates K Decruse, S Khyriem, and B Snaitang represented the petitioner before the Meghalaya High Court.Advocate General A Kumar with advocates R Colney and ER Chyne represented the State..[Read Order]
