Overview
- Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta rejected a plea to allow virtual attendance, ordering chief secretaries of defaulting states and Union Territories to appear physically.
- All jurisdictions must send their top bureaucrats except West Bengal and Telangana, with personal appearances scheduled for November 3 at 10:30 am.
- Bihar Chief Secretary Pratyaya Amrit was denied an exemption sought due to state elections, as the court said election administration is handled by the Election Commission.
- The court reiterated that compliance affidavits must detail ABC implementation capacity, noting that only the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, West Bengal and Telangana had filed by the last hearing.
- Expressing frustration at prolonged inaction, the bench said some affidavits appeared to have been filed only after the summons and warned that non-compliance was tarnishing India’s image.