'No respect for...': Supreme Court raps states again over stray dogs issue
The court's remarks comes amid repeated non-compliance by several states and union territories.
The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to accept Solicitor General Tushar Mehta’s request to allow the chief secretaries of states to appear virtually in the stray dogs case, insisting that they must be physically present in court on November 3.
“There is no respect for the court’s orders. Let the state chief secretaries come physically,” the bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta observed, rejecting the plea for virtual attendance.
The court's direction comes amid repeated non-compliance by several states and union territories, which failed to file affidavits despite the apex court’s August 22 order seeking details on measures taken under the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules.
Earlier, the Bihar government had sought exemption for its chief secretary, citing the upcoming state assembly elections scheduled for November 6 and 11. However, the bench dismissed the plea, saying, “There is an Election Commission to take care. Don’t worry. Let the chief secretary come.”
On October 27, the Supreme Court had criticized states for their inaction on the stray dogs issue, noting that such incidents were tarnishing India’s image abroad. It had directed all states and UTs - except West Bengal and Telangana—to ensure their chief secretaries appear before the court on November 3 to explain the delay in filing compliance affidavits.
The suo motu case was initiated on July 28 following reports of rising stray dog attacks and rabies cases, particularly among children in Delhi and other regions.
