New Delhi, Oct 30 (UNI) The Supreme Court today declined to accept the Bihar government’s request to exempt its Chief Secretary from appearing before the court on November 3 in the ongoing stray dogs matter, despite the upcoming Assembly elections in the state.
“There is an Election Commission to take care. Don’t worry. Let the Chief Secretary come,” a bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta told the counsel representing Bihar.
The Bihar Assembly elections are scheduled for November 6 and 11, with counting to take place on November 14.
The state’s counsel had mentioned the matter before the bench, seeking relaxation in view of election duties. “Your Lordships have directed all the defaulting Chief Secretaries to remain personally present on November 3. There is an election in the State of Bihar,” the counsel submitted.
However, the bench was unmoved, stating, “The Chief Secretary does not have to do anything in the state election.”
When the counsel suggested deputing another official in place of the Chief Secretary, the court curtly replied, “No. Let the other secretaries do their work there.”
Earlier, on October 27, the Apex Court had directed the Chief Secretaries of all states and union Territories, except West Bengal and Telangana, to appear personally on November 3 and explain why compliance affidavits had not been filed in accordance with its August 22 order.
The direction came after the court expressed displeasure over widespread non-compliance, noting that “continuous incidents are happening and the country is being shown as down in foreign nations.”
The court observed that, except for West Bengal, Telangana, and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), no other state or UT had filed its compliance affidavit.
“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 bench had stated earlier.
The Apex Court is hearing a suo motu case concerning the menace of stray dogs.
On August 22, the Court expanded the scope of the case beyond the Delhi-NCR region, directing that all states and union Territories be made parties to ensure uniform enforcement of the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules across India.
The court had also directed municipal authorities to file affidavits detailing their resources, including the number of dog pounds, veterinarians, dog-catching personnel, and specially-modified vehicles and cages available for implementation of the ABC Rules.
The suo motu proceedings were initiated on July 28, following a media report highlighting incidents of stray dog bites, particularly those resulting in rabies among children in the national capital.
