Supreme Court to Rule on Stray Dogs Issue by Nov 7

The Supreme Court is set to issue its order concerning the stray dogs matter on November 7, as noted in a session on Monday. A special three-judge bench, which includes Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and N V Anjaria, recognized the appearance of chief secretaries from a majority of Indian states and Union Territories. Kerala’s chief secretary was exempted, with the presence of a principal secretary from the state instead. The bench declared that the Animal Welfare Board of India should be included as a party to this case. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta brought to the bench's attention that most states and UTs had submitted their compliance affidavits. "List for orders on November 7," the bench confirmed, stating that chief secretaries' physical presence is no longer required unless states fail to comply with the court’s directives. Previously, on October 27, the court instructed the chief secretaries, barring those from West Bengal and Telangana, to appear on November 3. This was in light of states’ failure to file compliance affidavits following the August 22 order regarding the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules. Only West Bengal, Telangana, and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi had complied by October 27. The bench, on October 27, criticized the states and UTs for their negligence and mentioned that India's image was suffering internationally due to continuous incidents related to stray dog bites. Expanding the case’s scope beyond the Delhi-NCR region, the apex court had previously directed that all states and UTs be made parties to the matter. It mandated municipal authorities to submit compliance affidavits, detailing resources like dog pounds, veterinarians, dog-catchers, and necessary vehicles and cages. The apex court's hearing was initiated suo motu on July 28, following media reports on incidents of stray dog bites leading to rabies, notably affecting children in the national capital.