The Supreme Court has refused to issue any clarification on its recent judgment permitting authorities to euthanise stray dogs in areas witnessing frequent attacks. The court declined to entertain an application moved by NGO Animals Are People Too seeking clarification that the court's ruling should not be construed as permitting indiscriminate culling of stray dogs.
The bench observed that public statements or media reports could not become grounds for the Supreme Court to repeatedly revisit or clarify its judgment. The court added that since all high courts across the country had already been directed to initiate suo motu monitoring proceedings concerning implementation of the stray dog management framework, parties with grievances were free to approach the jurisdictional high courts instead.
The application was mentioned before the bench by advocate Anil Kumar Mishra, who submitted that the Supreme Court's May 19 judgment was allegedly being misunderstood by authorities and implemented contrary to law. He referred to media reports concerning the removal of dogs from educational institutions and statements attributed to political authorities suggesting a broad mandate to eliminate stray dogs.
The bench, however, declined to entertain the plea, stating that it would not issue further clarification at this stage. The NGO had sought an express clarification that euthanasia could be resorted to only in narrowly defined circumstances and strictly in accordance with the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 and the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023, after assessment by qualified veterinary experts.
