New Delhi: More than 50,000 people across India, including nearly 10,000 from Delhi, posted handwritten letters to the Supreme Court on Saturday urging it to reconsider its 7 November order directing authorities to remove community dogs from institutional areas, the organisers said in a release.

This formed part of a nationwide letter petition campaign that encouraged citizens to write to the apex court in support of animal rights and human experience, according to the release.

Why did citizens write to the Supreme Court?

The organisers stated that people across the country had been asked to visit their nearest post office on 29 November and mail a letter to the Chief Justice of India seeking a stay, recall and reconsideration of the order.

The citizen-led initiative was spearheaded by animal welfare activist Ambika Shukla, the release said.

How widespread was the participation?

At Lucknow’s GPO, people from different walks of life, including students and professionals, lined up to speed-post their petitions, the release claimed.

It further noted that people from places ranging from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, including cities such as Imphal, Vadodara and Chennai, also wrote to the top court in support of the campaign.

What are activists saying?

Kunal, an animal activist involved in the initiative, said that they had circulated English and Hindi templates for the letters and pointed out that public participation had been stronger than expected.

“This movement shows how deeply people care about animal welfare. A handwritten letter carries sincerity and by now more than 10,000 letters have already been submitted,” he said.

According to the organisers, more than 50,000 postal receipts had been uploaded on their website by Saturday evening.

(PTI Inputs)