HC doesn’t let cattle owners join PIL

Ahmedabad: The

Gujarat

high court on Thursday declined a request of five cattle owners from Vadodara to become part of court proceedings on a

PIL

that is demanding stringent action to curb the menace of stray cattle in cities and towns.The PIL was filed by an advocate,

Nilay Patel

. Five applicants, who identified themselves as cattle owners, filed an application saying that the issue raised in the PIL directly affects them and they should also be heard on this aspect. They complained that the

Vadodara Municipal Corporation

(VMC) impounds cattle found on roads, but many times cattle disappear and they fear that the authorities are selling them off.The high court refused to allow the cattle owners to join the litigation, saying that if they are made party respondents, it would open the way for lakhs of cattle owners to become party to the litigation. If they are aggrieved by any action of the civic authorities, they may file petitions challenging the action.