New Delhi, October 31, 2025 — The Supreme Court has declined a request from Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to allow Chief Secretaries of states—excluding West Bengal and Telangana—to attend virtually in a hearing scheduled for November 3 regarding the stray dog issue.
The matter was raised before a bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, who insisted that the officials must be physically present. Justice Nath remarked, “When we ask for compliance affidavits, they ignore it. There’s no regard for the court’s order. Let them come.”
The court had earlier, on October 27, directed Chief Secretaries from all states and Union Territories (except West Bengal and Telangana) to appear and explain why they failed to submit compliance reports as instructed in its August 22 order.
That August directive had broadened the scope of the case beyond Delhi-NCR, making all states and UTs parties to the proceedings. Municipal bodies were instructed to submit detailed affidavits outlining available resources for implementing the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules—such as dog shelters, veterinary staff, capture teams, and specialized vehicles.
The bench emphasized that ABC Rules apply uniformly across India and had formally included all states and UTs in the case.
The ongoing proceedings stem from a suo motu case initiated on July 28, following media reports about rising incidents of stray dog bites and rabies, particularly affecting children in the national capital.
