A Mumbai businessman, Ashish Goyal, 51, has filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Bombay High Court after his housing society in Lower Parel ruled that his blind dog would not be permitted to use any of the three lifts. There are 4 towers with 36 stories each and 229 apartments overall in the cooperative housing complex where Ashish Goyal resides. Together, the towers provide shared spaces and amenities like parking lots, gardens, gyms, lifts, and lobbies.
According to the Free Press Journal, he said that the issue began on January 14 of last year when a society member barred Goyal from using the elevator because he was carrying his pet dog, Ozzy. The member charged Goyal with breaking social norms. Other members of the society allegedly made false accusations and incited the entire society against Goyal and other pet owners after he filed a non-cognisable complaint against the member, upset by the incident. After Goyal protested to the police on February 24, 2024, about the "hostile environment against pet-owners in the society," the committee issued a notice the following day regarding the "Policy and guidelines on pets for residents of Marathon Era CHS."
According to Goyal, the Maharashtra Cooperative Societies Act and the Animal Welfare Board of India's instructions were flagrantly broken by these regulations and sanctions. According to his attorney, Siddh Vidya, who spoke to the publication, laws and regulations pertaining to animal rights were drafted but never put into effect. This PIL is to ensure that the rights of animals are respected by all, she said.