The Supreme Court on Tuesday voiced its disapproval of remarks made by former Union Minister Maneka Gandhi regarding the court's directives on the issue of stray dogs. The court stated that her statements amounted to contempt of court. However, the court decided against initiating contempt proceedings, citing its magnanimity.

A bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and N V Anjaria addressed Senior Advocate Raju Ramachandran, who was representing Gandhi, questioning the nature of her remarks and her body language in her podcast. Justice Mehta also inquired about the budgetary allocation Gandhi had facilitated during her tenure as a Union Minister to address the stray dog problem. Ramachandran responded by stating that budgetary allocation is a policy matter. Justice Nath retorted that while terrorist Ajmal Kasab did not commit contempt of court, Gandhi had.

The court clarified that its previous remarks about holding dog feeders accountable were not sarcastic but a serious point of consideration. This observation was made during a dialogue while the court was hearing the matter. The hearing is still in progress.

Earlier this month, the Supreme Court addressed the rising number of dog bite cases in Delhi-NCR. The court emphasized that public safety should be prioritized, especially in areas such as schools, hospitals, and railway stations. It suggested holding dog feeders responsible and proposed that individuals who wish to care for stray dogs should keep them as licensed pets rather than allowing them to roam freely. The Supreme Court had previously directed that stray dogs be removed from the premises of educational institutions, hospitals, and bus and railway stations, and ruled against returning them to the same areas after sterilization.

Gandhi had criticized this earlier order, deeming it impractical and questioning the logistics of removing and sheltering thousands of dogs. She argued that merely removing a few thousand dogs would not solve the problem, given the large stray dog population.