In a video that has now gone viral, a lawyer is seen slapping an animal activist outside the Supreme Court.
The violent brawl between the animal activists and lawyers outside the SC took place on August 11, the date when the court ordered the relocation of stray dogs to shelters.
The SC asked civic authorities to relocate all stray dogs from the Delhi-NCR residential areas to shelter within eight week to control the rising number of rabies cases. They also asked them to build dog shelters around the areas covering Noida, Ghaziabad and Gurugram.
The order caused outrage among animal activists and dog lovers who protested outside the SC premises.
The clash between the dog lovers and the lawyers took place while the hearing was happening. The verbal insults soon escalated into physical assaults. Bystanders captured the video that has now gone viral on social media. Other bystanders had tried to intervene to stop the issue while abuses were being thrown around.
The Supreme Court had also ordered to hire professionals who have handled, carried out sterilisation and immunisation and asked for the shelters to have CCTVs to ensure the dogs don't escape. The decision comes amid
Animal activists had gathered outside the Supreme Court to protest against the SC order. Animal welfare and care services (AWC) posted on X, "We are the voters, and we want to practice our constitutional right. The Indian Constitution, particularly Article 51A(g), mandates citizens to protect and improve the environment, including wildlife, and to have compassion for all living creatures."
Animal rights activist and former Union minister Maneka Gandhi had also criticised the order, calling it “impractical”, financially unviable" and "potentially harmful" to the region's ecological balance.
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You have three lakh dogs in Delhi. To get them all off the roads, you'll have to make 3,000 pounds, each with drainage, water, a shed, a kitchen, and a watchman," she told PTI. That will cost about Rs 15,000 crore. Does Delhi have Rs 15,000 crore for this? She asked.
In another case, a video surfaced of a Delhi police woman beating an animal rights activist inside a bus. The video shows a few protesters who were detained by the police. After an argument broke out, the police officer started to slap the woman.