Keep in abeyance orders restricting SPCA timings: HC
Saurabh Malik
Chandigarh, April 9
The Punjab and Haryana High Court (HC) has directed keeping in abeyance orders restricting animal lovers from visiting Chandigarh Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). The direction, allowing animal lovers, volunteers and other organisations to follow the “time schedule prevalent prior to passing of the impugned orders”, would remain in operation till the authorities concerned passed appropriate orders in accordance with the law on representations by animal lovers.
The directions on a petition against the Union of India and other respondents by Abhishek Bhateja through counsel Anurag Chopra came after Justice Raj Mohan Singh took note of the rival stand on the issue by the parties.
Among other things, Chopra had contended that the re-scheduling of time to two hours in the morning and again in the evening was “less public friendly”. It deprived animals of urgent treatment and hampered their welfare further leading to failure of the main objective for setting up the Animal Welfare Board.
Joint Director-cum-SPCA Honorary General-Secretary Dr Kanwarjit Bhangu, on the other hand, submitted that society was well managed by expert staff, including veterinary doctors. Volunteers only called up regarding injured or unwell animals, but it was society staff that brought them.
Volunteers came only for feeding animals. They, at times, fed animals against the norms and the instructions of the society’s veterinary doctors. The impugned orders were passed only after decision in a meeting of the Animal Welfare Board of India and SPCA.
Justice Raj Mohan Singh asserted it would be just and appropriate to request the “addressee of the representations” to take all corrective steps for the welfare of the animals lodged at the Sector 38 SPCA. “The timing schedule as per the impugned orders needs to be revisited as per the time schedule prevailing before passing the impugned orders. This is so particularly in view of the state of affairs prevailing in the SPCA, Chandigarh, as per an inspection report and the facts, which have been brought on record of the present case,” Justice Raj Mohan Singh added.
Before parting with the order, Justice Raj Mohan Singh added that animal lovers and social organisations till the passing of appropriate orders in accordance with the law would be allowed to feed and take care of animals as per the norms and prevailing situation prior to passing the impugned orders.
“If the competent authority comes to the conclusion that fixing of new time schedule for visits of animals lovers/volunteers needs to be re-fixed, the new schedule is to be fixed after providing reasonable opportunity to all stakeholders, including animal lovers and volunteers in accordance with law,” the Bench added.