A dog-lover advocate and a Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) official appear to have crossed the line by asking the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court to recommend a specific location on its premises for feeding stray dogs. A Division Bench of Justices Sunil Shukre and MW Chandwani noted that the Deputy Commissioner of NMC had forwarded a letter written to him by Advocate Ankita Shah, seeking to designate one spot on the High Court premises as a 'dog feeding site'.

"The letters, in our prima facie opinion, are contemptuous of the authority of this Court for the reasons that they have been sent in a sub-judice matter; there is no provision of law quoted in either of the letters that a right exists in the NMC to identify High Court premises as a place for feeding dogs," the Bench observed in its order passed on December 7. "Accordingly, we direct that show-cause notice be issued to Dr. Gajendra Mahalle (NMC official) and also intervenor advocate Shah as to why contempt proceedings be not initiated against them for attempting to interfere with the administration of justice by this Court," the order stated.

On December 7, the Bench was informed of a letter signed by an NMC official requesting a proper location on the High Court grounds for feeding dogs. In response, it stated,

"There is no mention in the letter as to how many such dogs are endemically resident of the premises of the High Court. There is no mention in the letter that the Supreme Court has directed the NMC to designate High Court premises as the area proper for Dog Feeding. Also, there is no whisper that High Court premises, irrespective of they being one of HIGH RISK areas from security view point where threat to security of the High Court lurks in various ways and forms including possibly in the nature of freely scurrying stray dogs, can be identified as Dog Feeding Area, leaving aside all other areas in the entire city of Nagpur."

The Bench was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) about the stray dog problem in Nagpur and surrounding districts.

In October of this year, the Bench led by Justice Shukre issued an order instructing the NMC to levy fines of Rs. 200 on citizens who feed dogs on public streets and in public places.

On November 16, the Supreme Court modified this order, instructing the NMC not to levy fines but to follow other directives issued by the Justice Shukre-led Bench to combat the threat of ferocious stray dogs.

Case Title: Vijay Shankarrao Talewar v. State of Maharashtra
Citation: PUBLIC INTEREST LITIGATION NO. 54 OF 2022
Link:

https://bombayhighcourt.nic.in/ordqrywebcase_action.php