The Supreme Court refused to watch videos on alleged cruelty to dogs, saying there are also videos of stray dogs attacking people and it does not want a “video vs video” debate while hearing the stray dog menace case.
The Supreme Court on Friday declined to view video evidence on alleged ‘cruelty’ towards dogs during a hearing on the growing stray dog menace, observing that selective visuals could turn the proceedings into a “video vs video” contest.
During the hearing, one of the lawyers appearing for dog lovers said, “I have some videos which will prove cruelty on dogs … in case Lordships wants to see them… the manner in which dogs have been dealt with…”
Justice Sandeep Mehta, however, refused the request, saying, “No no there is another side too, then we will have to see those too. There are also several videos on YouTube of dogs attacking children, old people …so we don’t want to see any videos. We don’t want a competition here like video vs video.”
A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and NV Anjaria was hearing a clutch of petitions on stray dog regulations, which flag the risks posed by free-roaming dogs and alleged lapses by civic authorities in managing the issue.
