New Delhi: Chief Secretaries of all states and Union Territories appeared before the Supreme Court on Monday and tendered unconditional apologies for failing to submit compliance affidavits on the issue of stray dog bites, in accordance with the court’s earlier orders.
A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and NV Anjaria said the court will soon issue directives regulating the feeding of stray dogs in government buildings and institutional premises.
“We will issue an order in a few days regarding government institutions where employees are supporting and encouraging dogs in that area,” the bench remarked.
Justice Nath further stated that the court would also hear victims of dog bites and listed the matter for further hearing on November 7.
The court took note of the presence of the Chief Secretaries, who were summoned for failing to submit affidavits demonstrating compliance with the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules. The bench acknowledged that the affidavits had now been filed and relieved the officials from appearing personally in the next hearings.
Earlier, on October 27, the apex court had directed the Chief Secretaries of all states and Union Territories—except Telangana and West Bengal, which had already complied—to appear in person on November 3 and explain their non-compliance. Only Delhi’s MCD, Telangana, and West Bengal had filed affidavits on time.
Expressing concern, 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.”
The court had earlier, on August 22, taken suo motu cognisance of the growing menace of stray dogs and directed all states and UTs to submit compliance reports. The three-judge bench had modified a previous August 11 order that required the rounding up of all stray dogs in Delhi-NCR and barred their release.
The revised order clarified that stray dogs must be sterilised and immunised before being released back into their original localities, except for those infected with rabies or displaying aggressive behaviour. It also limited public feeding of stray dogs, directing the MCD to create dedicated feeding zones in each ward. Violators feeding dogs outside designated areas would face action under relevant laws.
The August 11 order, passed by a two-judge bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan, had sought the removal of all stray dogs from Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram, and Faridabad, citing repeated administrative failures over the last two decades to ensure public safety.
The bench noted that its order was not based on “momentary impulse” but was a result of prolonged inaction by authorities in addressing the issue. “The court functions for the welfare of the people. These directions are in the interest of both humans and animals,” the bench had said.
According to Press Information Bureau data, India recorded over 37 lakh dog bite cases, with Delhi alone reporting 25,201 incidents, underscoring the seriousness of the crisis.
