THE SUPREME COURT YESTERDAY directed the personal appearance of Chief Secretaries of all States and Union Territories that have failed to submit compliance affidavits on steps taken to tackle the stray dog menace, in line with its August 22 directions. The Court directed their appearance on November 3 – the next date of hearing.
A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and N.V. Anjaria noted that, so far, only the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (‘MCD’), West Bengal, and Telangana had filed their compliance affidavits. The Bench ordered that Chief Secretaries of all remaining States and UTs must appear before the Court at 10:30 a.m. on November 3 and explain why compliance affidavits had not been filed.
Expressing dissatisfaction over the lack of response, Justice Nath remarked, “Continuous incidents are happening and the image of the country is being shown as down in the eyes of foreign nations. We are also reading news reports.”
When a counsel raised the issue of cruelty towards dogs, the Bench countered, “What about the cruelty towards humans?”
The Delhi government too had not filed its affidavit. Questioning the non-compliance, the Bench asked Additional Solicitor General Archana Pathak Dave to explain the inaction. “Why has the NCT of Delhi not filed its affidavit? The Chief Secretary must come up with an explanation... otherwise cost may be imposed and coercive steps will be taken. Notices were issued to all States and UTs... your officers don’t read newspapers or social media? Everyone has reported this. Once they are aware, they should come forward. All Chief Secretaries to remain present on November 3, else we will hold the Court in auditorium,” Justice Nath said.
On August 22, a three-judge Bench comprising Justices Nath, Mehta, and Anjaria had modified its earlier August 11 order on stray dogs, clarifying that captured dogs must be sterilised, dewormed, vaccinated, and released back to their original localities — except those suffering from rabies, suspected to be rabid, or showing aggressive behaviour. At the same time, the Court prohibited public feeding of stray dogs on streets and directed that dedicated feeding points be created, while stressing the need for a uniform national policy on stray dog management.
Stating that the issue required a “holistic approach,” the August 22 order had stayed the earlier directive of August 11, issued by Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan, which had required that all stray dogs in Delhi-NCR be permanently housed in shelters and not returned to the streets.
Expanding the issue to a pan-India scale, the Court had said that municipal bodies nationwide must ensure that only sterilised and immunised dogs are released back into their localities, while rabid or dangerously aggressive dogs may be quarantined or kept in shelters. “Dogs that are picked up shall be sterilised, dewormed, vaccinated and released back to the same area,” the Bench directed.
The August 22 order marked a significant departure from the August 11 ruling, which had completely barred the release of stray dogs. The Court said the modification was necessary to align with the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023, and to adopt a practical framework for coexistence between humans and animals.
The Court also directed every municipal authority to create designated feeding spaces in each ward based on the dog population and to display notice boards clearly indicating permitted feeding areas. Feeding on public roads and streets was expressly prohibited. “Persons found feeding dogs in violation of this direction shall be liable to action under the relevant framework,” the order said, further instructing authorities to set up helplines for reporting violations.
Extending the matter beyond Delhi-NCR, the Bench impleaded all States, UTs, Secretaries of Animal Husbandry Departments, and municipal corporations for compliance with the ABC Rules, and transferred similar cases pending before High Courts to itself to facilitate the formulation of a comprehensive national policy on stray dogs.
The suo motu proceedings began after the earlier two-judge bench took cognisance of a July 28 news report titled “City hounded by strays and kids pay price”. On August 11, Justices Pardiwala and Mahadevan ordered Delhi-NCR to clear localities of stray dogs within eight weeks, house them in shelters and ensure none were released back.
The August 11 order sparked widespread protests from animal rights groups and prompted concerns over conflicts with earlier Supreme Court rulings emphasising compassion and sterilisation rather than removal.
