Batting for feeding of stray dogs on the premises of a housing society, the Bombay High Court observed here on Tuesday that hating and treating dogs with cruelty “can never be an acceptable approach from the people of a civil society” as such an act of cruelty to such animals “would be against the Constitutional ethos and statutory provisions”.
Hearing a petition filed by a dog-lover of a cooperative housing society in Mumbai seeking designated feeding areas in housing society for stray dogs, a HC division bench of Justices GS Kulkarni and RN Laddha refused to restrain the petitioner Paromita Purthan from feeding the stray dogs on the premises of a housing society. It asked the housing society’s Managing Committee to discuss the matter with the petitioner and find a suitable place for feeding stray dogs in the society.
In her petition, Purthan had – among other things —alleged to the High Court that the managing committee of the society was resorting to 18 stray dogs by taking a stand that it would not provide a designated feeding spot for feeding the stray dogs and threatened to hire bouncers to restrain her from feeding the dogs.
Purthan is a resident of RNA Royale Park, a co-operative housing society located at Kandivali (west) in north Mumbai.
Taking a serious cognisance of the petitioner’s complaint against the managing Committee of the housing society, the HC bench noted that treating stray dogs with cruelty was an “unacceptable approach” from persons living in a civilised society.
“To hate stray dogs and/or treat them with cruelty can never be an acceptable approach, from persons of civil society, as an act of cruelty to such animals would be against the Constitutional ethos and the statutory provisions,” the HC bench stated in its nine-page order.
Underscoring the need for taking care of stray animals, Justice Kulkarni noted: “These are all living beings, we have to care for them. The petitioner has been nurturing dogs in a particular area, and they will continue coming there. You have to take care and survive with them”.