Stray dogs case: Chief secretaries of states tender apology; SC to pronounce order on November 7

NEW DELHI: Chief secretaries of different states on Monday tendered unconditional apology before the Supreme Court for not filing a response on measures taken by them to curb the menace of stray dog bites

A special bench justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and NV Anjaria said that victims of dog bites must also be heard and allows their plea to participate in the hearing on dog bites menace case which the court took Suo motu cognisance on the basis of TOI report.

"We will issue order in a few days regarding government institutions , where employees are supporting and encouraging dogs in that area," Justice Vikram Nath observed.

During the previous hearing on October 27, the top court had expressed strong disapproval of the failure of most state governments to file compliance affidavits, despite clear orders issued on August 22.

The top court had noted that only West Bengal, Telangana, and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) had submitted their affidavits.

On October 31, the Supreme Court rejected Solicitor General Tushar Mehta's request to allow the Chief Secretaries to appear virtually, directing instead that they must be present physically before the top court.

The top court had earlier directed all states and UTs to file affidavits detailing the steps taken to enforce the ABC Rules, including sterilisation drives, vaccination programmes, and the establishment of animal shelters and pounds.