Overview
- Except for West Bengal and Telangana, Chief Secretaries of all States and Union Territories have been ordered to appear on November 3 at 10:30 am to explain missing reports, with Delhi’s Chief Secretary also asked to account for the NCT’s lapse.
- The court noted that only the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, West Bengal and Telangana had filed affidavits, acknowledging they were lodged during the Diwali recess and had not yet been placed on record.
- The bench warned that costs and coercive measures may follow continued non-compliance and criticized officials for ignoring widely reported notices, saying the country’s image was being shown in a bad light.
- Under the August 22 order, authorities must sterilise, deworm and vaccinate stray dogs and release them back to the same areas, except for rabid, suspected‑rabid or aggressively behaving animals, and must create designated feeding zones and helplines while curbing public feeding in streets.
- The suo motu case, triggered by reports of rising dog-bite incidents, was expanded nationwide after an earlier August 11 directive to relocate dogs indefinitely was stayed and replaced with the ABC Rules‑based approach, with states directed to detail resources such as pounds, veterinarians, staff and vehicles.