Supreme Court Rebuffs Sharmila Tagore’s Stray Dog Plea, Warns Against ‘Glorifying’ Animals in Hospitals

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The Supreme Court of India has taken a strict stand on the stray dogs case. The court rejected the arguments put forward by actor Sharmila Tagore, labeling her suggestions as "completely devoid of reality."

A three-bench judge headed by Justice Vikram Nath highlighted the alarm over dogs in crowded areas, such as hospitals and schools. The judges said public safety should be paramount. They warned against "glorifying" street animals in areas where people are vulnerable.

A Stern Warning for Animal Activists

The court gave a sharp reality check during the hearing. Tagore’s lawyer mentioned "Goldie," a friendly dog at AIIMS Delhi, to show that humans and dogs can live together. However, Justice Sandeep Mehta disagreed. He pointed out that dogs carry ticks and parasites. These can be very dangerous for patients in hospitals. 

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The court also rejected ideas from countries like Georgia or Armenia, such as using color-coded collars. The judges said India has too many people and too much traffic for those methods to work here.

This legal battle started owing to a rise in fatal dog bites, including the death of a six-year-old child. The court also noted that stray animals cause many road accidents. Recently, two judges in Rajasthan were badly injured when their car hit a stray animal. The bench made it clear that "romanticizing" the situation does not solve the real-world dangers people face every day.

Can India Afford the 26,800 Crore Price Tag for a Stray Dog Hearing?

Moving India’s stray dogs to shelters would cost the government about Rs. 26,800 crore. This is a huge amount of money that many states simply do not have. There are roughly 80 million stray dogs in the country, but very few government shelters exist. Most of these shelters are already full, leaving no place for more dogs to go.

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This creates a major problem for local city officials. The court wants dogs removed from hospitals and schools immediately, but there is no infrastructure to hold them. Additionally, the court refused to step in to protect people who feed dogs from being harassed. This leaves local volunteers without any legal protection against angry neighbors. The gap between the court's orders and the available budget remains a massive hurdle for every city in India.

The Supreme Court has shifted the focus from living together to keeping humans and animals apart in public zones. This ruling means that hospitals and schools must be cleared for safety. However, cities will need much more money and better buildings to make this happen. In the future, the government must move beyond just sterilizing dogs. We will likely see a new industry for large-scale animal shelters and private security to keep sensitive public areas safe.