High Court puts traffic police, wildlife authorities on notice

Saurabh Malik

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 14

A day after the Punjab and Haryana High Court took suo motu cognisance of the ailing safety and care facilities for animals in the city, a Division Bench today put the wildlife and forest authorities on notice. A notice was also issued to the Chandigarh Traffic Police by the Bench of Justice Mahesh Grover and Justice Arun Kumar Monga.

Perturbed by the viciously ruthless manner in which the “victim of an accident at human hands” was handled on Tuesday, Justice Mahesh Grover of the High Court took cognisance of the matter before directing it to be treated as a petition in public interest.

  The matter was referred to Chief Justice Krishna Murari after which it was directed to be placed before the Bench headed by Justice Grover. The case will now come up for further hearing on December 5.

“A magnificent creature wallowing in its own blood with battered limbs, writhing in pain for an hour without any help — a victim of an accident at human hands, can best sum up the care the City Beautiful affords to its distressed animals while caretakers of the forest and wildlife make tall claims in this regard,” Justice Mahesh Grover asserted in his note while taking suo motu cognisance. Justice Grover added that even when help arrived, there was no veterinary doctor to even relieve the poor creature of its pain. Rather, it was removed from the site in a brutally insensitive manner by netting and tying it to be dragged in a pickup van.

  Justice Grover added that the incident, witnessed by him on Tuesday, raised several concerns about animal safety and care, for which the court was taking suo motu notice and directing the matter to be treated as a public interest litigation.

Justice Grover also directed placing of the matter before the Chief Justice for appropriate orders. “Since the whole incident was witnessed by me, I would, with all humility, request the Chief Justice to permit me to make suggestions in this regard after the matter has been appropriately listed,” Justice Grover added before parting with the note.