SC declines exemption for Chief Secretaries’ personal appearance in stray dogs’ case
New Delhi, Oct 31: The Supreme Court on Friday firmly rejected Solicitor General Tushar Mehta’s request to allow Chief Secretaries of…
New Delhi, Oct 31: The Supreme Court on Friday firmly rejected Solicitor General Tushar Mehta’s request to allow Chief Secretaries of states and Union Territories to attend proceedings virtually in the ongoing case concerning the growing menace of stray dogs.
The bench, comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, directed that all Chief Secretaries must appear in person before the court.
Expressing strong disapproval of the prolonged inaction by state authorities, Justice Nath remarked that it was “very unfortunate” that the court was forced to intervene in matters that should have been addressed years ago by municipal bodies and state governments.
“Parliament frames rules, but no action is taken,” he said, stressing that the officials had failed to file the compliance affidavits required by the court.
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The bench stated that Chief Secretaries “must physically come and explain” their non-compliance. “They have no respect for the court’s order. Let them come; we will deal with them,” Justice Nath observed, ordering that the affidavits be filed without further delay.
The directive follows the court’s earlier order on October 27 mandating the personal appearance of Chief Secretaries from all states and Union Territories—except Telangana and West Bengal—for failing to submit compliance reports. Only the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, West Bengal, and Telangana had met the court’s previous filing requirement.
Justice Nath also noted that recurring incidents involving stray dogs were tarnishing India’s global image, citing reports of increasing dog-bite cases nationwide.
The Supreme Court had taken suo motu cognisance of the issue on August 22 and instructed states and UTs to file affidavits detailing their compliance.
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The three-judge bench, modifying an earlier August 11 order limited to Delhi-NCR, permitted the release of sterilised and vaccinated stray dogs back into their localities, except for rabid or aggressive animals. It also restricted public feeding of strays and directed the creation of designated feeding zones in every municipal ward.
The court has maintained that its intervention stems from years of administrative failure to curb the threat to public safety, noting that over 37 lakh dog bite incidents were reported nationwide, including more than 25,000 cases in Delhi alone.
