Gujarat High Court Advocates Association seek removal of stray dogs from court premises citing SC order

The Gujarat High Court Advocate Association (GHCAA) has urged the Registrar General of the High Court to remove all stray dogs from the court premises, citing a recent Supreme Court directive on managing stray dogs in public places.

In a letter addressed to the Registrar General, the GHCAA stated that the presence of stray dogs has created a situation where 'any incident may happen at any moment'. The association demanded that the dogs be removed at the earliest and shifted to proper shelters.

The plea comes days after a Supreme Court Bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and N V Anjaria issued sweeping directions on November 7 to insulate key public spaces from the growing stray dog menace.

Hearing a suo motu matter on nationwide stray dog management, the apex court ordered that every educational institution, hospital, public sports complex, bus stand, and railway station must be properly fenced to prevent the entry of stray dogs.

The Bench also directed authorities to clear highways of stray cattle and other animals. Local municipal bodies have been instructed to conduct regular pick-up drives from such premises and relocate the animals to designated shelters after mandatory vaccination and sterilisation, in accordance with the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023.

Emphasising strict compliance, the Supreme Court warned that Chief Secretaries of all States and Union Territories would ensure implementation, failing which officers would be held personally responsible. The court has sought compliance status reports within eight weeks, detailing the mechanisms established to execute the directives.