HC Tells Govt to Explain Stand on Existence of Dog Breeders in Delhi

New Delhi: After the city government recently claimed that Delhi has no dog breeders in the city, the Delhi High Court asked the State Govt. to Take a Clear Stance on Dog Breeders.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela last week asked govt to file a status report detailing the action to be taken against pet shop owners who were flouting the rules. 

"It is contended that there are no breeders in Delhi and, therefore, no further action is required under the breeding rules," HC stated, expressing its reservations given the "broad definition of breeders". The court also directed the government to file an affidavit, clarifying its stance on the existence of breeders in Delhi and the action taken to confirm the same.

The government said that an exercise for the registration of pet shop owners was underway and would be complete within 90 days. This exercise would be followed by steps to ensure compliance to the rules and norms, and any pet shop owners violating the rules would face strict action, regardless of whether they are registered or unregistered. 

While asking the Delhi government about the proposed action to be taken against the violators, the bench further asked it to display the status of the registration exercise and posted the matter for May next year.

The court is hearing a PIL seeking control on illegal dog breeding centres in Delhi. The court noted that despite the plea being pending for 6 years, and the rising incidents of dog bites in public, no action had been taken by the Animal Husbandry Department to keep illegal dog breeding in check. It asked the animal husbandry department to file an affidavit detailing the steps taken so far and their plans to curb illegal dog breeding. 

The court previously directed the authorities to file an affidavit detailing their plan along with the timelines, underlining how they intended to implement Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Pet Shop) Rules, 2018, and Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Dog Breeding and Marketing) Rules, 2017.