New Delhi: The Supreme Court yesterday began hearing a number of interlocutory applications in the stray dogs case, with a three-Judge Bench flagging safety concerns over the animals on highways. A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and N.V. Anjaria said that no one can read the animal’s mind when it is in a “mood to bite or not”, adding that “prevention is better than cure.”

“The roads have to be clear and clean of dogs. They might not bite, but they still cause accidents. Why do we need dogs on streets, schools and institutional areas?” the Bench asked.

The Bench made the observation after senior advocate, representing the petitioners, told the Top Court that if there’s a possible dog that is unruly and is likely to bite somebody, then people can call up a centre where the dog can be taken, sterilised and released back in the area.

To this, the Court said, “The only thing missing is providing counselling to the dogs so that they do not bite when released back.”

“It’s not only that the dog would bite and chase somebody, but an accident can occur. While they are running on the road, it is a problem. Roads where there are moving vehicles. It’s just not biting,” the Court said.

To this, the senior advocate replied, “But dogs are not on roads, they are on compounds.”

The Bench then added, “Prevention is always better than a cure. The roads have to be clear and cleaned of dogs. They might not bite, but they still cause accidents.”