Stray dog threats in J&K, Ladakh warrant serious attention: HC

Srinagar, Mar 19: The High Court of J&K and Ladakh Wednesday held that the menace of stray dogs poses a threat to public safety and warrants immediate and serious attention in J&K and Ladakh.

Hearing Public Interest Litigations (PIL) including the one on the court’s motion, a Division Bench of Chief Justice Tashi Rabstan and Justice M A Chowdhary said that the PILs raised concerns regarding the increasing number of dog bites and there was a need for urgent deliberations and appropriate remedial measures to mitigate the threat to public safety.

“Today, a copy of a newspaper report has been placed before us, highlighting a similar concern in Srinagar city. Stray dogs have reportedly been roaming unchecked inside the Government College for Women, M A Road, Srinagar, causing fear and distress among the students,” the court said in its order of March 12.

In its earlier order, the court had directed the authorities to report as to how effectively various decisions taken by the State Level Implementation and Monitoring Committee related to the dog menace were to be implemented in letter and spirit.

Meanwhile, Gauri Maulekhi, an animal welfare activist, filed an application before the court to put forth various suggestions in compliance to the order the court had passed in February this year whereby she was directed to submit her suggestions on the issue of dog population management in J&K and Ladakh.

The court had made her a party last year to assist the court after she contended that she was a member of the State Animal Birth Control Implementation and Monitoring Committee of J&K, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Jharkhand, Bihar, and Uttarakhand and had shown keen interest in proper management of the street dogs which had created various issues for the public.

Deputy Solicitor General of India (DSGI) T M Shamsi, who is also counsel for Ladakh UT in the matter, told the court that in terms of the order of February 11, 2025, a compliance report had been filed. The court asked him to ensure that a copy of the report was furnished to Gauri Maulekhi forthwith either through email or WhatsApp.

In response to the submission by  Deputy Advocate General, Bikramdeep Singh that in a connected PIL, J&K has also filed a compliance report, the court said a copy of the same be also furnished to Maulekhi via email or WhatsApp. The court asked Maulekhi to examine both the compliance reports and file her response or additional suggestions, as may be deemed necessary if she so desired.

The court noted that the menace posed by stray dogs, not only in Srinagar but across both J&K and Ladakh warranted immediate and serious attention. “The issues raised in these PILs require urgent deliberation and appropriate remedial measures to mitigate the threat to public safety,” the court said.