The Supreme Court refused to excuse Bihar’s Chief Secretary from appearing in the stray dogs case, despite upcoming state elections. The bench said, “There is Election Commission which would take care. Don’t worry. Let the chief secretary come.”
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has rejected the Bihar government’s request to excuse its Chief Secretary from personally appearing before the Court on November 3 in the ongoing stray dogs case, despite the upcoming assembly elections in the state.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta firmly told the Bihar government’s counsel,
“There is Election Commission which would take care. Don’t worry. Let the chief secretary come.”
The Bihar assembly elections are scheduled for November 6 and 11, and the counting of votes will take place on November 14. However, the Supreme Court clarified that elections cannot be used as a reason to avoid compliance with its earlier directions.
The issue came up when Bihar’s counsel mentioned the matter before the bench and sought an exemption for the Chief Secretary.
The lawyer said,
“Your lordships have directed all the defaulting chief secretaries to remain personally present on (November) 3. There is election in the state of Bihar.”
In response, the bench stated that the Chief Secretary’s presence was mandatory, adding,
“The chief secretary does not have to do anything in the state election.”
When the counsel further requested that another secretary be allowed to represent the state, the bench refused, saying,
“No. Let the other secretaries do their work there.”
The top court had earlier, on October 27, expressed strong disapproval towards several states and union territories for not filing their compliance affidavits in the stray dogs case, despite being directed to do so by the Court’s August 22 order.
The bench had observed that continuous incidents involving stray dogs were taking place across the country and that such issues were bringing embarrassment to India internationally.
ALSO READ: Rajasthan High Court Grants Asaram Bapu Six-Month Interim Bail on Medical Grounds
The Court remarked that the country was being “shown as down” in foreign nations because of these repeated incidents.
During that hearing, the Court had noted that except for West Bengal, Telangana, and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), none of the other states and union territories had submitted their compliance affidavits.
The bench then passed a strict direction:
“As most of the states and union territories have not responded, the chief secretaries of all the states and union territories other than the states of West Bengal and Telangana shall remain present before this court on November 3, 2025 at 10.30 AM along with their respective explanations as to why compliance affidavits have not been filed.”
The case being heard is a suo motu matter (one taken up by the Court on its own) concerning the increasing number of stray dog attacks across India.
The proceedings were initiated on July 28 following a media report highlighting frequent dog bites leading to rabies, especially among children in the national capital.
Earlier, on August 22, the Supreme Court had expanded the scope of the case beyond Delhi-NCR and directed that all states and union territories be made parties to the proceedings.
The bench also asked municipal authorities to file affidavits of compliance containing full details of available infrastructure, including dog pounds, veterinarians, dog-catching personnel, and specially-modified vehicles and cages, in accordance with the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules.
The bench had noted that the Animal Birth Control Rules apply uniformly throughout India and therefore decided to involve all states and union territories to ensure effective implementation.
By rejecting Bihar’s plea and insisting on the Chief Secretary’s presence, the Supreme Court has once again underlined the importance of accountability and compliance by all state authorities in handling the stray dog issue — a matter concerning both public safety and animal welfare.
Case Title: IN RE:
CITY HOUNDED BY STRAYS, KIDS PAY PRICE
Click Here to Read More Reports On Stray Dogs Case
