Stray Dogs case: LIVE UPDATES from Supreme Court

A three-judge Bench of the Supreme Court comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and NV Anjaria is hearing the case relating to removal of stray dogs in Delhi.

Earlier, a Bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan had on August 11 ordered the removal of all stray dogs from streets and public spaces in Delhi, NOIDA, Ghaziabad, Gurugram and Faridabad, their relocation to shelters, and a complete prohibition on releasing them back to the streets.

The order was passed in a suo motu case initiated by the Bench over umpteen incidents of rabies and deaths from stray dog bites.

The Bench had stated that the exercise must be prioritised and carried out without compromise. It added that if any individual or organisation created obstruction, the Court will take strict action against them including action for contempt of court.

The order led to widespread protests by animal rights activists, many of whom took to the streets.

Later, the matter was again mentioned before the Supreme Court and earlier orders passed by other Benches of the top court were highlighted which were said to be in conflict with the August 11 order.

The case then came to be shifted to a three-judge Bench headed by Justice Vikram Nath.

This Bench will be hearing the suo motu case as well as two other petitions - one a fresh petition taking exception to the August 11 order and another a pending appeal against a Delhi High Court judgment on the sterilization programme, where the petitioner alleged that MCD and others, despite receiving funds, failed to control the dog population. 

Live updates from the hearing today feature here.