The Supreme Court on Thursday declined to accept the Bihar government’s plea seeking exemption for its Chief Secretary from personally appearing before it on November 3 in connection with the stray dogs case, citing the upcoming assembly elections in the state.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta firmly turned down the request, observing that the ongoing election process was no ground for exemption. “There is Election Commission which would take care. Don’t worry. Let the Chief Secretary come,” the bench told the counsel representing Bihar.
The state’s counsel had mentioned the matter before the bench, saying, “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 clarified that the Chief Secretary had no role to play in the conduct of the state elections, remarking, “The Chief Secretary does not have to do anything in the state election.” When the counsel suggested that another secretary could appear in his place, the court curtly replied, “No. Let the other secretaries do their work there.”
On October 27, the apex court had expressed strong displeasure over several states and union territories failing to submit compliance affidavits in the stray dogs matter, despite its August 22 order. The bench had then directed the Chief Secretaries of all states and UTs—except West Bengal and Telangana—to remain personally present before the court on November 3 to explain the delay.
“It has been noted that except West Bengal, Telangana and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), none of the other states and UTs have filed their compliance affidavits,” the bench had recorded, adding, “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.”
The Supreme Court is hearing a suo motu matter concerning the menace of stray dogs and the implementation of the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023. The proceedings were initiated on July 28, 2025, following media reports highlighting rising cases of dog bites and rabies, particularly affecting children in Delhi.
On August 22, the court expanded the scope of the case beyond the Delhi-NCR region and directed that all states and union territories be made parties to the proceedings. It instructed municipal authorities to submit affidavits detailing resources available for implementing the ABC Rules, including the number of dog pounds, veterinarians, trained dog-catchers, and specially designed vehicles and cages.
The bench had also emphasised that the ABC Rules apply uniformly across India, making it the duty of every state and UT to ensure compliance.
