Nearly Headless Abhishek Manu Singhvi? Supreme Court Hearing On Stray Dogs Gets Unlikely Comic Relief

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Delhi-NCR Stray Dog Case: The Supreme Court's otherwise weighty proceedings on Delhi-NCR's stray dog crisis took an unexpectedly comical turn when senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi appeared on screen looking - quite literally - nearly headless.

How did the“headless” glitch happen?

The moment came during Thursday's virtual hearing on petitions challenging the apex court's earlier order to remove stray dogs from the National Capital Region and put them in shelters.

Appearing via video link, advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi 's head was mysteriously cropped out, prompting Justice Vikram Nath to ask with a smile,“Why is your head cut off, Mr Singhvi?” as quoted by Bar and Bench.

Also Read | Dog owner backs SC order to remove strays from Delhi-NCR, faces flak

Abhishek Manu Singhvi, unfazed, responded,“It is the technology, Milord!” - a remark that drew chuckles across the virtual courtroom.

The culprit? Most likely an over-zealous virtual background filter that decided the top of the advocate's head was surplus to requirements.

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The three-judge Supreme Court bench - Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and N V Anjaria - was hearing multiple petitions seeking a stay on the August 11 directions that ordered authorities to begin removing stray dogs from all Delhi-NCR localities and place them in shelters.

The Supreme Court was firm in its view that“the whole problem is because of inaction of local authorities” and stressed that everyone who had approached the bench would have to take some responsibility.

During the hearing, the Delhi government said that children are dying due to dog bites causing rabies, and the issue of stray dogs needs to be resolved and not to be contested.

Also Read | Supreme Court reserves order on stray dogs issue in Delhi-NCR

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta , appearing for the Delhi government, said there were over 37 lakh reported dog bites in an year in the country.

"Nobody is an animal hater," Mehta told the bench.

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for an NGO which looks after dogs, said the situation was "very serious" and the matter was needed to be argued in depth.

Sibal sought a stay on some of the directions passed by the apex court on August 11, including the directions to the authorities to start picking up stray dogs from all localities in Delhi-NCR "at the earliest" and relocate the animals to dog shelters .

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The Delhi-NCR stray dog case stems from a suo motu intervention by the Supreme Court after a spate of rabies deaths - particularly among children - linked to dog bites in the Delhi-NCR region. The Delhi government has argued that the issue must be resolved urgently, warning that lives are at stake.

The August 11 order gave local bodies eight weeks to set up dog shelters or pounds, detain stray dogs, and ensure they are not released back onto streets, colonies, or public spaces.

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