The State government has been directed to form a Monitoring Committee within four weeks to oversee the implementation of the Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme as per the Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules, 2001.
Expanding the scope of the PIL filed to control the menace caused by stray dogs throughout the state, the Meghalaya High Court on Thursday said, “The state government shall take immediate steps not later than four weeks from date to form a Committee in terms of rule 4 of the said rules. Thereafter, the committee shall discharge its functions according to rule 5.”
Rule 5 outlines the responsibilities of the Monitoring Committee in implementing the program. This committee is tasked with overseeing the catching, transportation, sheltering, sterilization, vaccination, treatment, and release of sterilized, vaccinated, or treated dogs. It also has the authority to authorize euthanasia of critically ill, fatally injured, or rabid dogs.
The division bench of Chief Justice Indra Prasanna Mukerji and Justice Wanlura Diengdoh directed, “The commissioners along with the District Council and the local Municipal authority shall carry out our orders in their districts. The state shall file a comprehensive affidavit with regard to the action taken before the returnable date.”
Earlier, the scope of the PIL has been confined to Shillong.
Meanwhile, petitioner Kaustav Paul told the court that the Rules promulgated under sub section (1) of section 38 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 have remained a piece of paper and not enforced.
He pointed out that Rule 4 provides for formation of a committee comprising of the commissioner/chief of the local authority, who would be the ex-officio Chairman, representatives of Public Health Animal Welfare, District Society for the said Act, Animal Welfare Organisations and “Humanitarian or a well-known individual”.
The next hearing has been scheduled for July 16, 2025.
