Supreme Court insists chief secretaries appear in person in stray dogs case
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday rejected Solicitor General Tushar Mehta’s request to allow chief secretaries of states—except West Bengal and Telangana—to appear virtually in the ongoing stray dogs case.
A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta made it clear that all chief secretaries must appear physically before the court on November 3.
“When we require them to come and file compliance affidavits, they are just sleeping over it. There’s no respect for the court’s order. Then alright, let them come,” Justice Nath remarked.
Mehta had sought permission for virtual appearance, but the bench declined his plea.
Earlier, on October 27, the apex court had directed chief secretaries of all states and Union Territories—except West Bengal and Telangana—to be present in person on November 3 to explain why they failed to submit compliance affidavits despite an August 22 order.
On August 22, the Supreme Court had expanded the scope of the stray dogs case beyond the Delhi-NCR region, making all states and UTs parties to the proceedings. The court had also directed municipal bodies to file compliance affidavits detailing resources such as dog pounds, veterinarians, dog-catching staff, and specially equipped vehicles and cages as per the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules.
The bench noted that the implementation of ABC Rules must be uniform across India.
The case originated suo motu on July 28 following media reports about stray dog attacks and rabies-related deaths, particularly among children, in the national capital.
