Navi Mumbai citizen Vineeta Srinandan was sentenced seven days of imprisonment and a fine of Rs 2,000 for contempt of court. The Bombay High Court gave her this punishment while they were hearing a case over feeding stray dogs. She distributed a letter that severely criticised judges regarding a housing society dispute involving the feeding of stray dogs. On January 29, she shared a letter with subject-line being “How Democracy is Being Crushed by the Judicial System.” She called judges of the courts a part of the ‘dog mafia.’ She shared this letter with over 1,500 residents. In her letter she made severe allegations against the Judges of Bombay HighCourt and the Supreme Court.
She distributed these letters after a court order dated January 21 allowed residents' domestic staff to feed stray dogs, emphasising animal welfare under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. The Bombay High Court found her letter "derogatory, objectionable, and scandalizing." This led to them initiating suo motu contempt proceedings against her.
Vineeta Srinandan is also a Cultural Director of Seawoods Estate Housing Society. The board of directors of the Seawoods Estate expressed disassociation from her behaviour and offered an unqualified apologies, claiming that her opinions did not reflect those of the society. However, claiming that her publication was intended to erode judicial authority and foster mistrust, the court held Srinandan exclusively liable.
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In order to provide Srinandan the opportunity to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court, the court suspended the punishment for ten days. By labelling judges members of a "dog mafia," her letter infuriated the court even more. All things considered, the procedures were started after it was claimed that Srinandan's materials scandalised the judiciary and obstructed the administration of justice. In her letter she wrote, “Now we are convinced that there is a big dog mafia operating in the country, who has a list of High Court and Supreme Court judges…”
Residents of Seawoods Limited were involved in a judicial battle over the feeding of stray dogs, contesting a regulation under the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023, which mandates that residential communities allow the feeding of stray animals. A resident named Leela Verma filed an intervention application after objecting to the practice of feeding dogs in approved places. The court suspended the society's ability to obstruct Verma's feeding attempts in January. Then, Srinandan's contentious document was incorporated in an affidavit that Verma submitted. It alleged that a "big dog mafia" was swaying court rulings in favour of dog feeders, ignoring the value of human life, and it includes accusations of judicial bias and mockery over a purported dog attack event.
The court stated that these remarks are very offensive. The court observed that this was an “dedicated attempt” to undermine the dignity and authority of the judiciary. On February 7 a show-cause notice was served to her. Later she apologised to the court but the court found her apology insincere and was just a legal formality. The court said, “We do not accept any apology which does not show any contrition or any genuine remorse.”