Thane: Animal Activist Serves Legal Notice To Housing Society After Being Fined ₹5.5 Lakh For Walking Dogs

Mumbai: The animal activist, who was fined a whopping Rs 5.5 lakh for walking his dogs in his housing society, has served a legal notice to the society’s managing committee alleging unlawful imposition of fines. The activist has threatened the society of moving the court against them if the penalty is not withdrawn within 15 days.

On May 29, The Free Press Journal had reported that Subajit Bhattacharya, who runs a shelter for paraplegic dogs in his residence bungalow in the Hawaiian Village Society in Thane’s Ghodbunder Road, was fined Rs 5.5 lakh by the society. The society imposed a fine for walking his dogs in the society’s common area after alleging that other members were facing issues due to the dogs’ barking, failure to submit vaccination certificates, and his unhygienic practices of cooking dog food.

While Bhattacharya deferred from paying the fines, he has now served a legal notice to the society’s secretary alleging wrongful imposition of penalty, harassment, and violation of his statutory rights. He has demanded unconditional withdrawal of the penalty and sought a declaration from society that the penalty imposed is illegal. He has threatened that if his demands are not met within 15 days, he will proceed with legal action and claim compensatory damages for harassment and mental agony.

The legal notice, served through Advocate Purva Basrur with assistance from Pure Animal Lovers (PAL) Foundation, stated that the society's actions suffer from multiple legal defects. These include failure to conduct a proper inquiry as mandated by bylaws, non-compliance with the Maharashtra Cooperative Societies Act, excessive penalties without proportionality, and abuse of majority power in SGM proceedings. 

“The society has flagrantly violated the principles of natural justice by acting as prosecutor, judge, and executioner, denying fair hearing and due process, imposing penalty without proper inquiry, and failing to follow procedural safeguards. The penalty imposed is ultra vires the powers of the society and beyond its statutory jurisdiction, as no specific bye-law authorises such arbitrary penalties,” said Bhattacharya

The animal activist also alleged that the society and its members engaged in a systematic pattern of harassment and intimidation against him, his family, employees, and the rescued animals under his care by threatening the caretakers, flooding his compound, blocking the water supply, and exploding firecrackers in close proximity to the animals.

Statement Of Sudhir Kudalakar, Founder Of PAL Foundation

Sudhir Kudalakar, senior police inspector and advisor at Pal Foundation, said, “I stand against the misuse of civic mechanisms to target compassion. Penalising such efforts through baseless fines or harassment is not only unjust, it’s unlawful. The NGO operates transparently, and the managing committee of any society has no legal right to impose penalties on members for humane acts like pet care or animal feeding. Compassion should be supported, not silenced.

Statement Of Roshan Pathak, Animal Rights Advisor At PAL Foundation

Roshan Pathak, animal rights advisor at PAL Foundation, said, “As a society, we must remember that kindness towards animals is not a crime, it is a constitutional value. We should stand by those who care for the voiceless and help create a more compassionate and responsible community for both humans and animals alike. Instead of supporting and appreciating such efforts, targeting someone who is trying to make a positive difference reflects a serious lack of understanding and empathy. Every society’s committee members should follow the Animal Birth Control rules and not frame their own laws.”

The Free Press Journal contacted the society’s secretary Rahul Khandelwal, who said that the notice is baseless and appears to be an attempt to play the victim while concealing the true facts. "His actions clearly indicate a deliberate intent to cause disturbance and inconvenience to fellow residents while portraying himself as a victim. Senior citizens who live here are looking for peace and serenity, and this unhygienic filth created with an open kitchen and with 20 sick dogs constantly howling in pain cannot get precedence over the peace and serenity that the senior citizens deserve and are forced to abandon on account of this," he said, adding that the penalties were imposed after Bhattacharya failed to comply with the society's demands of implementing sound-proofing measures and submitting vaccination certificates of his dogs.