Proposal to fix microchip on street dogs challenged in Karnataka High Court

A division bench comprising Chief Justice NV Anjaria and Justice KV Aravind also issued notices to the Union government, Animal Welfare Board of India and Karnataka Animal Welfare Board.

Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday issued notices to the state government, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), and others in response to a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging the Palike's Request For Proposal (RFP) to implant microchips in street dogs.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice NV Anjaria and Justice KV Aravind also issued notices to the union government, the Animal Welfare Board of India, and the Karnataka Animal Welfare Board. The hearing has been adjourned to December 16.

The PIL was filed by Save Our Animals Charitable Trust, Bengaluru, and environmental activist Naveena Kamath, challenging the RFP issued by the BBMP on February 29, 2024. The proposal seeks to procure microchips, readers, and implantation services to make street dogs scannable. The petitioners argue that the BBMP lacks legal authority to implement such a project.

The petitioners stated that the project has not received approval from the Central Animal Birth Control Monitoring and Implementation Committee or the Animal Welfare Board of India, nor has permission been sought to microchip street dogs. They contend that the Animal Welfare Board of India has remained silent, despite its authority to issue a show-cause notice to the BBMP under Rule 18(1) of the Animal Birth Control Rules for actions that potentially violate the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and its regulations.

The petition further asserts that the BBMP has acted beyond its legal powers under the BBMP Act and Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules. “There is no approved standard operating procedure (SOP) in place for the proposed project. The project appears to be ineffective and entails unnecessary usage of public funds,” the petition said.