• Source:JND
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Supreme Court judge Justice Vikram Nath on Saturday remarked that the “stray dog” case had made him well-known in civil society across the world. He expressed gratitude to Chief Justice of India (CJI) B.R. Gavai for assigning him the case, which, he said, brought him recognition not only in India but globally.

Speaking at the Regional Conference on Human-Wildlife conflict at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, on Saturday, Justice Vikram Nath said, “So long I have been known in the legal fraternity for the little work I do, but I am thankful to the stray dogs for making me known to the entire civil society, not only in this country but world over.”

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“And I am thankful to my CJI for allotting me that matter," he was quoted by Live Law as saying. 

Justice Vikram Nath recalled the incident while speaking at the ‘Law Asia POLA Summit’. "The presidents of the lawyers association were here. So they started asking questions about stray dogs. I felt very elated...well people outside India also know me. So I am thankful to them for giving me this recognition. In addition to human blessings and good wishes, I have their good wishes also," Justice Vikram Nath said.

The Delhi Stray Dog Case 

Justice Vikram Nath headed a three-judge bench that, on August 22, modified an earlier order passed on August 11 by a two-judge bench regarding the relocation of stray dogs in Delhi-NCR.

The issue drew wide attention after Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan had directed municipal authorities on August 11 to start rounding up stray dogs from all areas and set up shelters within eight weeks.

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However, Justice Nath’s bench ruled on August 22 that all dogs, except those infected with rabies or showing aggressive behaviour, should be released back to their original locations after sterilisation and vaccination. This ruling directly contradicted the August 11 order, which had barred the release of captured stray dogs, and sparked significant debate, drawing protests from animal rights activists and dog lovers.