Durga Rai, who stays at the Assent co-operative housing society on Mahakali Caves Road at Andheri, keeps 12 dogs in her own house.
An avid dog lover from Andheri, who takes care of 12 stray dogs at home, has moved the Bombay high court, appealing the court to step in and contain the continuous harassment she faces at the hands of corporation officials, her housing society members and even the animal welfare officers, mainly over the stray dogs.
A division bench of Justice AM Khanwilkar and Justice Rajesh Ketkar on Friday issued notices to the society, corporation and the Bombay Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BSPCA) and directed them to file their reply by December 22.
As per her petition, Durga Rai, who stays at the Assent co-operative housing society on Mahakali Caves Road at Andheri, keeps 12 dogs in her own house and if they are not a problem for her, then how can they be a trouble to an outsider.
The bench has now given Rai legal assistance by appointing an amicus curie to present her case in court. The petition filed by Rai stated that she has an aged mother at home and the officials of the different departments keep coming over at odd hours to threaten to take away her licensed dogs. She has also alleged that the officials often use abusive language and threaten her.
Rai claimed that she has approached the Meghwadi police, asking them to “lodge a complaint of assault and cruelty to animals” against the society members, who have been torturing them. However, the police refused to register the case.
Rai argued before the court that “In 2005, there were five strays in the society which members threatened to kill. The area which used to be a jungle now has massive construction going on. The stray dogs, as a result, were left with no food and she adopted several of them.”
The petition will now be heard on December 22.
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