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Noting that repeated incidents of stray dog attacks are being used to malign India’s image abroad, the Supreme Court Monday came down heavily on states and Union Territories for failing to file affidavits in compliance with its direction on the stray dog menace in a suo motu case.
A three-judge bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and Justice N V Anjaria directed the personal presence of the chief secretaries of all states and Union Territories, except West Bengal and Telangana, which have filed the affidavits, on November 3 to explain why the compliance affidavits have not been filed yet.
“All chief secretaries to remain in person. Otherwise, we will hold court in (an) auditorium,” Justice Nath said.
Taking stern exception, Justice Nath added, “Continuous incidents are happening. Your country is being shown down in foreign countries… We also read newspapers.”
The bench also indicated that it will pass a longer order when the issues come up for hearing again.
Delhi chief secretary also summoned
The court noted that the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has submitted an affidavit; however, the Delhi government has not yet filed its response. As a result, the court also sought the presence of the Delhi chief secretary during the next hearing on November 3.
“Ask your chief secretary to remain on November 3, along with an explanation as to why no compliance affidavit has been filed till today. You are in Delhi, the order was passed in Delhi, in your presence it was passed and nothing has happened…Why has the NCT (National Capital Territory of Delhi) not filed it?”
The Supreme Court on August 22 expanded the scope of the stray dogs case beyond the confines of Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) and directed that all states and Union Territories be made parties in the matter.
The counsel for the Delhi government, Archana Pathak Dave, said the government issued guidelines for stray dog management in September.
But Justice Nath asked, “Where is your compliance affidavit in terms of the direction issued on August 22, 2025?”
To an argument that the Delhi government was not made a party in the matter and hence was not served notice, Justice Nath was furious and said, “Notice was issued to all states. It was reported widely. Your officers don’t read newspapers? They don’t read social media? They want a formal notice to be issued! The order mentioned everything. Everyone has reported that all states and union territories are being issued notices.”
“Don’t come up with all these explanations… Even if they are not served, once they are aware, they should come forward. This is a public interest litigation. What is this?”
Stray dogs case in Supreme Court
In July, the Supreme Court took up the stray dogs matter suo motu after media reports highlighted serious and fatal attacks by stray dogs in the Delhi-NCR region. A two-judge bench initially ordered the civic bodies in the area to capture and permanently shelter all stray dogs within eight weeks. This directive faced criticism from animal welfare groups, who described it as “too harsh” and impractical.
In response to the public outcry, the Chief Justice assigned the case to a three-judge bench, which modified the order on August 22. The bench stayed the directive for permanent sheltering and expanded the case’s scope to include all states and Union Territories.
In the August 22 order, the apex court also modified its earlier direction barring the release of vaccinated canines from shelters in Delhi-NCR. Terming it “too harsh”, it ordered the dogs to be released after undergoing sterilisation and de-worming procedures.
