E-Paper
High court asks Chandigarh administration to allow photography at SPCA
Earlier the Punjab and Haryana high court was told that with the intent to highlight the malpractice/discrepancy in the functioning of the SPCA, the petitioner clicked pictures of the inpatient dogs without tags/collars but to his utter shock and dismay, he was immediately restricted and further threatened by the staff
Punjab and Haryana high court has directed UT administration to allow photography and videography at Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) facilities in Chandigarh.
The directions were passed by high court bench of justice Raj Mohan Singh on the plea from a Mohali resident, Shaurya Madan, who had challenged the SPCA decision in this regard. The same has been imposed without any official order or authority to simply cover up its own irregularities, shortcomings, miscount and malpractices, thereby hampering transparency and accountability in the functioning of SPCA, his counsel, Anurag Chopra had argued before the court. During the hearing UT had submitted that it would comply with the directions issued by high court “meticulously”.
The court disposed of the plea observing it would be in the interest of animal lovers and the administration that photography and videography at the premises is permitted.
Earlier the court was told that with the intent to highlight the malpractice/discrepancy in the functioning of the SPCA, the petitioner clicked pictures of the inpatient dogs without tags/collars but to his utter shock and dismay, he was immediately restricted and further threatened by the staff. The purpose of photography and videography is to communicate and document the moment which plays a vital role in creating transparency in shelter operations, adoptions, fosters, humane education, public motivation, media knowledge treatment and further help safeguard animal rights activists against nonplussed accusations levelled against them by the state machinery, Chopra had argued.
