India’s Supreme Court on Monday ordered the chief secretaries of all states and union territories, except West Bengal and Telangana, to appear before it on November 3 to explain their failure to submit affidavits of compliance in an ongoing case related to the management of stray dogs.
A three-judge special bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and NV Anjaria observed that only the Municipal Corporation of Delhi along with the states of West Bengal and Telangana had complied with the court’s earlier order issued on August 22.
Expressing displeasure over the lack of response from other states and union territories, the bench observed that its August 22 order was explicit and comprehensive, leaving no room for ambiguity.
The matter stems from a suo motu case initiated by the Supreme Court to address the issue of stray dogs and their management across India.
The scope of the case has spread beyond Delhi-NCR
In its August 22 order, the Supreme Court extended the scope of the stray dog case beyond the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) and ordered all states and Union Territories to become parties to ensure uniform implementation of animal welfare and public safety measures.
The court also revisited its earlier directions that banned the release of vaccinated stray dogs from city pounds in the Delhi-NCR region. Considering the previous directive “too harsh”, the bench modified it to allow the release of sterilized and wormed canines back to their respective locations.
The case will now be heard on November 3, when the chief secretaries are expected to explain the reasons for the non-compliance and outline the steps taken to implement the Court’s directives.
