So, shall we let barking dogs lie?

Often, the most meaningful and enlightening observations of our times pass on without the recognition they deserve simply because of the seeming irrelevance of the protagonists.

The recent matter filed before a local judge in Sonarpur near Kolkata is a case in point. Two pedigreed dogs and two humans of perhaps less eminence were the dramatis personae whose dispute caused the learned judge to make some sterling observations. The complainant’s case was that the incessant nocturnal barking of his neighbour’s canines kept his family awake and prayed for a remedy from the court.

Since the dogs’ owner had the requisite licences, and the dogs were not doing anything that canines — pet or stray — legitimately and naturally don’t do, the plaintiff ’s case was weak. The judge sensibly — if somewhat sarcastically — pointed out the inescapable fact that there was no way courts could either stop dogs from barking or even lower their volume.

He could just as well have decided, instead, to widen the ambit of the courts and decreed that the dogs cease and desist from their natural behaviour. His order thus could be seen as directed less at barking dogs and more at those within his fraternity who routinely pass unimplementable orders. However, in 2012, the Supreme Court had decreed sleeping to be a fundamental right. So, who will have the last bark?