Srinagar, Dec 19: Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association (HCBA) Wednesday filed reply to the report of the expert committee constituted by the government in Public Interest Litigation seeking eradication of dogs in the state.      
 A division bench comprising Justices Virender Singh and  Muzaffar Hussain Attar took the reply on record after it was submitted by Advocate Mian Abdul Qayoom  representing the HCBA in the case.  
 The reply filed by the HCBA boils down to the contention that the report of the expert committee on curbing dog menace sans substance saying  the menace can be done away with by following the provisions of section 304 (2) ( a-b) of the Municipal Corporation Act.   
 Seeking rejection of the report submitted by the expert committee, the Bar in its reply said that only in keeping with of section 304 (2) ( a-b) of the Municipal Corporation Act that the dog menace can be eradicated in the state.   
 The HCBA said that in terms of section 2 (1) of prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1990, an animal means any domestic or captured animal or a bird . “It does not include any stray dog” the reply said.
 The reply stresses that Section 7 has no application to the killing of the stray dog.  “Assuming that the section has an application to the killing of a stray dog, yet it only speaks of killing of an animal in an unnecessarily cruel manner” the reply added.
 The reply said, “It therefore means that if any person kills any stray dog in unnecessarily cruel manner, then he shall be liable to punishment with a fine or simple imprisonment.”
 The seven member expert committee constituted by government to suggest measures other than ‘Animal Birth Control’ to get rid of dog menace in city had not approved of mass killing of canines

Lastupdate on : Wed, 19 Dec 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Wed, 19 Dec 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Thu, 20 Dec 2012 00:00:00 IST