New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday expressed deep displeasure over the failure of several states and Union Territories to comply with its previous directions in the ongoing stray dogs matter. Taking a stern view of the delay, the Court ordered the chief secretaries of all states and UTs—except West Bengal and Telangana—to personally appear before it on November 3.
A special three-judge bench led by Justice Vikram Nath and comprising Justices Sandeep Mehta and NV Anjaria took note that only the Municipal Corporation of Delhi along with the states of West Bengal and Telangana have filed the required compliance affidavits so far, as directed in the Court’s order dated August 22.
The bench observed that the remaining states and UTs have shown “complete disregard” for the Court’s instructions, stressing that the August order clearly outlined the necessary actions to be taken regarding stray dog management and welfare measures.
The Supreme Court is monitoring the issue through a suo motu (taken up on its own) case, reflecting the seriousness of rising stray dog attacks and concerns raised over improper handling of street animals. The Court had earlier expanded the scope of the case to cover the entire country instead of limiting it to the Delhi-NCR region.
During the hearing, the bench recalled that the August 22 directive modified an earlier order that had prohibited the release of vaccinated stray dogs from shelters. Calling the previous stance “too harsh,” the Court clarified that dogs must be released back to their original locations once sterilisation and de-worming procedures are completed.
The fresh directive from the Supreme Court now puts strong accountability on state administrations to show concrete progress in implementing humane and lawful measures for stray dog control, including sterilisation drives and vaccination programs.
The case will be taken up again on November 3, when chief secretaries will have to explain the delay and outline the steps being taken to ensure compliance with the Court’s orders.