The court ruled that T Puspa Rani has no legal standing as she is not a resident of the district.

“The test for locus standi states that an applicant must be an aggrieved party, which is not the case here,” judicial commissioner Roslan Mat Noor said in his verdict delivered virtually.

Lawyer Rajesh Nagarajan, who represented Puspa Rani, said he has been instructed to file an appeal to the Court of Appeal.

“We are of the view that the test for locus standi is unduly narrow and that it is about time the test was widened for all public interest litigation matters,” he told FMT.

Roslan had heard the ex parte submission on whether leave ought to be granted or not on Aug 11.

Rajesh submitted that Puspa Rani was a long-time animal rights activist and had also filed similar action against other local governments.

Puspa Rani, who filed the application in April, wanted the High Court to quash the council’s decision to announce a bounty for the killing or capture of the canines.

She asked that all the dogs caught alive and sent to the Cameron Highlands district council be released into her care.

She also wanted a prohibitory order against the council to ensure that no campaign of this nature was launched in the future.

Puspa Rani sought damages for all the injuries suffered by the dogs so that the funds could be used for their care, medical treatment and rehabilitation.

According to her, it was undeniable that the dogs caught would inevitably be subject to cruel abuse, contrary to the Animal Welfare Act 2015.

FMT had reported in January that the local authority had postponed a stray dog catching campaign following an uproar by animal lovers on Facebook.

However, a representative from the council said its decision to call off the campaign, for now, was due to the movement control order (MCO).