'Removed From Reality': Supreme Court Schools Sharmila Tagore On Stray Dogs

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday described actor Sharmila Tagore’s arguments to dealing with the stray dog menace as "completely removed from reality." A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and NV Anjaria was hearing the matter.

During the hearing, counsel appearing for Tagore, an applicant in the stray dog case, cited the example of “Goldie”, a friendly dog that has reportedly lived on the AIIMS premises for years, to argue that not all strays pose a danger. The bench, however, came down heavily on the submission.

"You are completely removed from reality. Don't try to glorify these dogs in hospitals," the Supreme Court said. "Was she being taken to the hospital theatre also? Any dog that’s in the streets is bound to have ticks. And a dog with ticks in a hospital will have disastrous consequences. Do you understand?" the bench said.

The Supreme Court also rejected a proposal to introduce colour-coded collars to identify dogs that had bitten people, a practice followed in countries such as Georgia and Armenia. “What is the population of those countries? Please be realistic,” the bench said.

The apex court was informed on Thursday that removing dogs from public spaces could cost the government up to Rs 26,800 crore.

For the past two days, the matter has been heard extensively, with the bench primarily examining the issue of stray dogs in institutional premises.