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2007 Supreme(Raj) 107

Supreme Court
Honble S.B. SINHA, J. Honble DALVEER BHANDARI, J.
Milkmen Colony Vikas Samiti - Appellant
Versus
State of Rajasthan & Ors. - Respondents
Civil Appeal No. 247 of 2007
Decided On : January 17, 2007

Advocates Appeared:
Kailash Vasudev, A.M. Singhvi, Rajeev Dhavan and Mukul Rohatgi, Senior, Advocates [Aruneshwar Gupta, Additional Advocate General, Surya Kant, Sushil Kr. Jain, H.D. Thanvi, Sarad Singhania, Puneet Jain (for Pratibha Jain), Dr. Manish Singhvi (for P.V. Yoge

Headnote:(a) Constitution of India, Art. 21 – Right to life – Hygienic, clean and safe environment – Clean surroundings lead to a healthy body and healthy mind – Held – For hygienic, clean and safe urban environment freedom from stray cattle and animals be removed from the city – Menace of stray cattle had reached a stage where entire planning of the city had gone haywire and were creating nuisance for citizens – It is at the cost of the health and decent living of the city residents violating their rights under Art. 21. (b) Constitution of India, Art. 21 and 226 – Public Interest litigation – Public nuisance – Relocation of milk dairies outside city limits ordered by High Court in PIL in light of sever nuisance and health hazard being caused by cattle – Held – High Court rightly directed relocation of the dairies and there is no illegality in direction of High Court – Appellants raised a plea for relocation to some area other than that already allocated and readied for relocation by the State Govt. in compliance with directions of the High Court, the said location having been chosen on the basis of expert advice as to suitability of the locations for such relocation. (Paras 28, 29 & 30)(c) Prevention of cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, Sec. 3 – Disposal of plastic bags – Cattle dying due to consumption of plastic bags – Municipal Corporation is directed to ensure that used plastic bags and other plastic material must be separated from other grabage and destroy to prevent their consumption by cattle, bulls and other animals. (Para 32)

       

Honble BHANDARI, J.–Leave granted.

(2). In a public interest litigation instituted under Article 226 of the Constitution, the High Court of Rajasthan at Jodhpur, by the impugned judgment, has directed that the milk dairies located in the city of Jodhpur be shifted from their present location to alternative sites. These appeals by grant of special leave are preferred against the said judgment and order dated 12th July, 2004 of the High Court passed in D.B. Civil Misc. Writ Petition No.4409 of 1994.

(3). Both these appeals are inter-connected and are arising out of a common judgment, therefore, we would refer to the facts as mentioned in Civil Appeal No. 246 of 2007 arising out of SLP (C) No.16751 of 2004.

(4). The appellant-Milkmen Colony Vikas Samiti is an association of milkmen engaged in the business of selling milk and milk products in the city of Jodhpur (Rajasthan) for the last 44 years. The Government of Rajasthan vide Notification No.F.1 LSG/56 dated 5.11.1956 introduced a scheme, namely, Masuriya Colony Scheme, under which the members of the appellant Samiti and other milkmen, who were carrying on business of selling milk and milk products, were allotted plots of land in the city of Jodhpur @ Rs.2/- per sq. yards. In all, 332 plots were allotted by the Government under the said scheme to different milkmen for developing dairies. Since 1956, the said milkmen have been carrying their business of selling milk and milk products in the above colony. The said colony was duly conceived and planned as a milkmen colony by the Urban Improvement Trust, Jodhpur with the approval of the State Government.

(5). It is stated that the owners of the bovine animals, in the city of Jodhpur, after milching the bovine animals were turning them out of dairies so that they could eat whatever was available on the roads. The stray cattle including the cows, bulls, dogs etc. freely roam in the city of Jodhpur and in the porch of the Mahatma Gandhi Hospital, the principal government hospital in the city. It is further stated that the excreta of these animals was also visible all over, even in the corridors of the High Court. This totally unhygienic, unhealthy and injurious practice was creating considerable nuisance to the citizens of the city of Jodhpur.

(6). The citizens of the City, being aggrieved by the said nuisance caused by the stray cattle and dogs, filed a petition in public interest in the High Court of Rajasthan at Jodhpur through the Rajasthan Chapter of Indian Association of Lawyers, respondent no.4 herein, associated with the International Association of Democratic Lawyers established in 1946 and in consultative status with UN Economic and Social Council, UNESCO and UNICEF.

(7). In the instant petition, it was stated that stray animals, such as, bulls, dogs and cattle were roaming all around inside and outside the city freely. Cattle were found loitering and squatting on the roads of Jodhpur City and that they were causing danger to human life and were creating a traffic hazard. It is stated in the petition that the entire city was full of dirt, refuge and was stinking beyond all limits and that the excreta of stray cattle was a breeding ground for various diseases. Drains were clogged and sewerage water was getting mixed up with the drinking water spreading many diseases. These unhygienic and unhealthy prevalent conditions are adversely affecting the quality of life of the residents living in the city of Jodhpur and thereby impinging upon their constitutional rights enshrined under Article 21 of the Constitution of India. In the writ petition, following reliefs were prayed:

1. To direct the respondent Jodhpur Municipal Corporation and the Urban Improvement Trust to take steps to ensure that animals and cattle do not inhibit roads and public places and make proper arrangement in this behalf;

2. In order to oversee that all this is done, to appoint a Committee constituting of eminent citizens authorizing such Committee to see:

(i) that






























































































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