The Supreme Court on September 9 said its effort will be to strike a balance between the humane act of feeding strays and protecting innocent people from stray dog attacks.
"I am also a dog lover and there are many other dog lovers here... We have to accept that there is a problem. Dogs may become ferocious due to lack of food or they may get an infection," Justice Sanjiv Khanna, heading the Bench, observed orally.
The court scheduled a hearing on September 28.
The danger of stray dog attacks was recently brought back into the apex court's focus by advocate V.K. Biju who highlighted the death of a 12-year-old victim recently in Kerala.
The Bench also asked the Justice Sri Jagan Commission formed by the Supreme Court to submit a report. The Commission was constituted in 2016 to enquire into complaints about dog attacks and the distribution of compensation to victims in Kerala.
Senior advocate V. Giri, appearing for the State, referred to a 2015 judgment of the Kerala High Court to cull the stray dog population in accordance with the local body laws.
The court allowed animal rights group to intervene and said the Bench would hear them in detail before passing orders on the issue.
