New Delhi [India], November 3 (HBTV): The Chief Secretaries of all states and Union Territories appeared before the Supreme Court on Friday, tendering an unconditional apology for not filing compliance affidavits on measures taken to curb the menace of stray dog bites.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and NV Anjaria said that directions would soon be issued to regulate the feeding of dogs within government 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 observed.
Justice Nath added 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 Chief Secretaries from all states and Union Territories, who were directed to appear in person for their failure to file affidavits showing compliance with the Animal Birth Control Rules. The bench recorded that compliance affidavits have now been submitted and dispensed with their personal presence for future hearings.
On October 27, the apex court had ordered the personal appearance of Chief Secretaries of all states and Union Territories—except Telangana and West Bengal—on November 3 for not complying with earlier directions. The court had noted that only the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, West Bengal, and Telangana had filed affidavits.
‘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,’ Justice Nath remarked in a previous hearing.
Earlier, on August 22, the Supreme Court directed all states and Union Territories to file compliance affidavits in connection with the suo motu proceedings it initiated over the growing menace of stray dogs across the country.
The three-judge bench had then modified a two-judge bench’s August 11 order that directed the rounding up of all stray dogs in the Delhi-NCR and prohibited their release from shelters. The revised order stated that stray dogs would be released back into the same area after sterilisation and vaccination, except for those infected with rabies or displaying aggressive behaviour.
The court had also restricted public feeding of stray dogs, directing the Municipal Corporation of Delhi to create designated feeding zones in each ward. Those feeding dogs in violation of the directions were warned of legal action under relevant provisions.
The scope of the proceedings was also expanded to include all states and Union Territories, as the August 11 order initially applied only to the Delhi-National Capital Region.
The two-judge bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Madadev had previously observed that the directive was not a reactionary move but the result of ‘thorough and careful deliberation’ after years of administrative inaction.
Citing official data from the Press Information Bureau, the court noted there were 37,15,713 reported dog bite incidents nationwide, including 25,201 in Delhi alone.
(ANI)