'Stray dogs are most beautiful creatures, don't...': Kapil Dev 'requests' amid uproar against Supreme Court's order

Days after the Supreme Court order on stray dogs, which has sparked massive backlash, former India captain Kapil Dev has urged to show some compassion. A two-judge bench of the apex court had acted in the suo motu case initiated on July 28 over a media report on stray dog bites leading to rabies, particularly among children, in the national capital.

Reacting to the ongoing issue, Kapil Dev, the 1983 World Cup-winning skipper, in a video message for animal welfare group Petfamilia said: “I know a lot of things are being said about the dogs. But, as a citizen, I feel they are the most beautiful creatures. So I request to authorities to look into them and give them a better life and don't throw them out.”

As per the latest developments, a bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and N V Anjaria, which was constituted to hear a suo motu case and some other pleas concerning stray dogs, reserved its verdict on the interim prayer for a stay on the directions issued by the apex court on August 11. The Court on Thursday noted that the "whole problem" of stray dogs in Delhi-NCR was a result of the "inaction" of local authorities which did "nothing" in implementing the Animal Birth Control Rules on sterilisation and immunisation of canines.

"The whole problem is because of inaction of the local authorities. You frame rules in Parliament. The government acts, rules are framed but no implementation is carried out creating problem which is standing today," the bench said on Thursday.

Earlier, Ritika Sajdeh, wife of Rohit Sharma, shared an emotional story on Instagram about the Supreme Court's ruling on stray dogs. She expressed that the animal is a heartbeat rather than a threat as they are being referred to. Many other celebrities have expressed similar views on social media.