KOCHI: In an attempt to make the state animal friendly, the Kerala High Court on Friday directed the government to explore the possibility of entrusting the district administrations with the power to inquire into complaints of infringement on animal rights and cruelty to animals. The court also asked the state government to upgrade the facilities of veterinary hospitals and allied infrastructure.
“It is very important to infuse a culture within the state that satisfies the constitutional obligation to protect animals and improve the general attitude of the citizenry towards animals,” observed a bench comprising Justice A K Jayasankaran Nambiar and Justice Gopinath P. The bench issued the directive on a suo motu case initiated following the killing of a dog in Thiruvananthapuram.
The district administration could inquire into the complaints of residents that they were being prevented from keeping pets by residents’ associations.The court also directed the government to explore the possibility of promoting and holding animal adoption camps throughout the state at periodic intervals, at least three times a year, to encourage adoption of animals abandoned by their owners or are left to wander in the streets in search of food and shelter.
Care has to be taken to ensure that adoption during such camps is always in the best interests of the animal concerned.The court directed the state government to inform it of the steps taken by it to reconstitute and make the State Animal Welfare Board functional. The court also appointed senior advocate S Ramesh Babu and advocate T C Suresh Menon as the amici curiae in the case.