Meghalaya High Court Recalls Order Seeking Supreme Court Permission to Retain Stray Dogs PIL
PIL Records to be Transferred as Supreme Court Takes Over All Stray Dog Matters
The Meghalaya High Court has recalled its earlier order that directed the Registrar General to seek permission from the Supreme Court for continuing to hear a public interest litigation (PIL) concerning stray dogs. The Court’s decision follows a Supreme Court order from August 22 transferring all pending stray dog cases from High Courts across India to the Supreme Court for joint consideration.
Initially, a Division Bench led by Chief Justice IP Mukerji (since retired) and Justice W Diengdoh had expressed interest in retaining the matter due to unique issues posed by stray dogs in Meghalaya. However, on September 26, a subsequent Bench under Acting Chief Justice HS Thangkhiew and Justice W Diengdoh recalled the order on the State government’s request, with no objection from either the petitioner or the Shillong Municipal Board.
The High Court has now directed its registry to promptly transmit the records of the PIL to the Supreme Court Registry, in accordance with national judicial directives. This comes amid ongoing directions from the Supreme Court, including deworming and vaccinating stray dogs and the consolidation of stray dog matters from all parts of India for unified adjudication.