Chief Secretaries Must Appear Physically In Stray Dogs Case: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court has rejected requests by top bureaucrats seeking to appear virtually in the stray dogs matter for the second day in a row. The chief secretaries of all states and Union territories, except West Bengal and Telangana, must be present in the court on November 3, it asserted, lambasting the officials for "sleeping" on the court's directions.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta had requested that the top officials be exempted from physical appearance. But Justice Vikram Nath turned down the request and asserted that they must appear in person and explain their non-compliance.

"No, let them appear in person. It is very unfortunate that the court is giving time here, (but) the government makes rules and takes no action," said Justice Nath. "They are sleeping (on the court order). Let them come; we will deal with them. They must appear in person and explain why compliance affidavits were not filed."

On October 27, the top court directed the chief secretaries of all states and Union territories, except the two states, to appear before it on November 3 and explain their non-compliance with its August 22 direction to file affidavits.

On August 22, the court expanded the scope of the case and impleaded all states and union territories in the matter. It had also directed the states to ensure that the Animal Birth Control (ABC) rules were applied in a uniform manner across the country.