The Delhi High Court recently sought a report from Delhi Advisory Board for Animal Welfare (DABAW) on a plea against all the illegal breeders making sure that the rules of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Dog Breeding and Marketing) Rules, 2017 are complied with.
The counsel appearing for DABAW informed Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad that the status report had been prepared but the same was not on record.
The court granted two more weeks to DABAW to file the status report.
In the plea submitted, it was mentioned that illegal dog breeding keeps happening and there is no action being taken by the State government and it has continuously failed to bring any illegal dog breeder to justice.
The plea alleged that none of the dog breeders from Delhi are registered with the State Animal Welfare Board. While not complying with the rules, their commercial activities continue unregulated, in complete violation of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Dog Breeding and Marketing) Rules, 2017, framed under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.
“Under Article 51A(g), it is the fundamental duty of every citizen to have compassion for living creatures. Further, the right to health is recognised as an essential part of the right to life protected by Article 21,” the plea read.
Earlier, the Supreme Court in the Animal Welfare Board of India vs A. Nagaraja & Ors (2014) case, recognised that the interpretation of the right to live with dignity under Article 21 should be extended to the right of animals not to be treated cruelly.