The Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed that contempt petitions linked to its 2015 order on stray dog bite cases be sent to the Supreme Court. The transfer follows the apex court’s recent directions on the matter.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court mandated that contempt petitions related to its 2015 directive on stray dog bite cases be forwarded to the Supreme Court, following recent orders from the apex court.
Justice Vikas Bahl noted that on August 22, the Supreme Court had instructed the inclusion of all States, Union Territories, and local bodies to ensure adherence to the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules.
It also directed that all similar pending matters in the High Courts be consolidated for a unified review.
In response to a joint request from lawyers representing various municipal bodies and the state governments of Punjab, Haryana, and UT Chandigarh, the High Court Registry was instructed to send the case files to the Supreme Court.
The contempt petitions submitted by counsels Saurabh Arora and Kunal Malwani.
Maneka Gandhi, a former Member of Parliament and animal rights activist, was represented by advocate Kunal Dawar, while intervenor and animal activist Sunayana Sibal was represented by counsel Viren Sibal.
The High Court had previously ordered the Chandigarh Administration and Municipal Corporation, on April 28, 2015, to ensure the effective implementation of a 2013 “Comprehensive Scheme for Management of Stray Dogs.”
The issue was initially raised by Gurmukh Singh, who filed a petition against the Union Territory of Chandigarh, highlighting the problem of street dogs in the city, especially in the Rose Garden area. He claimed to have been pursued by street dogs during his morning walks and noted several reported dog bite incidents in that locality.
However, the dog sterilization program launched by Chandigarh faced scrutiny due to subsequent petitions alleging contempt of court for willful noncompliance with the April 2015 order. The Bench previously stated that the stray dog population had significantly increased despite the program’s implementation.
Expanding the scope of the case, the High Court requested local bodies in Punjab and Haryana to provide information on the number of reported dog bites and the actions taken for the sterilization and vaccination of stray dogs.
The Court also required affidavits detailing serious public complaints regarding stray dogs in specific areas of Chandigarh.
The Bench added,
“This order will apply mutatis mutandis to the States of Punjab and Haryana where at each district level, a committee will be constituted and the affidavit of all the Municipal Corporations/Committees will be filed about the number of dog bites reported in their respective districts and action taken for sterilisation and vaccination of stray dogs,”
Earlier order of August 11, passed by a Bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan, had created huge controversy. That order had directed that all stray dogs in Delhi-NCR must be caught and sent to shelters within eight weeks.
The Court at that time had taken serious note of the rising number of dog bite cases and rabies-related deaths. In fact, official figures from 2024 showed at least 37 lakh dog bite cases and 54 suspected deaths due to rabies.
The apex court, On Aug 22, changed its earlier order of August 11 that had directed authorities to round up all stray dogs in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) and to keep them permanently in shelters without release.
A three-judge Bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and NV Anjaria ruled that stray dogs should be sent back to their original locations after proper medical care.
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