Supreme Court Summons Chief Secretaries Over Non-Compliance In Stray Dogs Case

The Supreme Court on Monday (27 October) pulled up several States and Union Territories for ignoring its 22 August directive on managing stray dogs and ordered their Chief Secretaries—except those of West Bengal, Telangana, and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD)—to personally appear before it on 3 November, reported The Hindu.

A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and N.V. Anjaria noted that only three compliance affidavits had been filed so far.

“Pursuant to the order dated August 22, 2025, only three compliance affidavits have been filed… These States are West Bengal, Telangana, and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi,” the court said, adding that all other Chief Secretaries must appear at 10.30 a.m. on the next hearing and explain their failure to comply.

Expressing displeasure, Justice Nath remarked, “Eight weeks’ time was granted in August. Today it is 27th October, no response, nothing.”

He also sought an explanation from the Delhi government for not filing its affidavit, warning that “cost may be imposed and coercive steps will be taken.”

The 22 August order had modified the court’s earlier direction that required civic bodies in Delhi and adjoining districts to confine all stray dogs in shelters. Calling that move “too harsh,” the court had directed authorities to release sterilised, dewormed, and vaccinated dogs back into their localities—excluding rabid or aggressive animals, which must remain in shelters.

The Bench had also ordered civic bodies to designate feeding zones, establish helplines for violations, and take punitive action against anyone obstructing enforcement.

Treating the matter as a pan-India issue, the court sought a uniform national policy under the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023 framed under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.

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