Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said that Kashmiris are apprehensive about travelling outside the Union Territory as they are “being portrayed as suspects” after the Delhi blast, The Indian Express reported
Supreme Court flags feeding of stray dogs within government office premises
Supreme Court flags feeding of stray dogs within government office premises
The Supreme Court on Monday (November 3, 2025) took serious note of government employees feeding stray dogs within office premises, observing that such conduct violated its earlier directions mandating the establishment of designated feeding zones for canines.
A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and N.V. Anjaria observed, “We will be issuing directions with respect to government institutions and public sector undertakings where employees are feeding the dogs, and supporting and encouraging stray dogs in the area.” It accordingly listed the matter for orders on November 7.
When counsels appearing for some intervenors urged the Bench to hear the parties before issuing any such directions, Justice Nath remarked, “For institutional matters, we are not going to hear any averment at all.” The Bench, however, clarified that it would continue to hear all parties after passing the interim order.
Senior advocate Karuna Nundy drew the court's attention to irregularities reported in the demarcation of feeding zones by local authorities in Delhi. The Bench assured her that such grievances would be examined at the next hearing.
“We are not closing the matter. We will hear you,” Justice Nath said.
The observations were made during the court's ongoing suo motu proceedings to evolve a national policy on stray dog management and to ensure effective implementation of the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023, framed under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.
In its August 22 order, the Bench had directed municipal bodies across the country to establish designated feeding zones in every ward to ensure that stray dogs are fed in a regulated manner without causing public inconvenience. The directions were prompted by a series of “untoward incidents” arising from unregulated feeding, which had caused “great difficulties for the common man walking on the streets.”
On Monday, the Chief Secretaries of all States and Union Territories, except West Bengal, Telangana, and Kerala, were present in the courtroom pursuant to an order dated October 27 directing their personal appearance for non-compliance with the court's earlier directive.
The Bench had earlier expressed strong displeasure over the failure of most States and Union Territories to submit compliance reports from their local bodies on the implementation of the ABC Rules, despite being granted three months to do so in August. Accordingly, it had directed the Chief Secretaries to personally appear before it on November 3, exempting only Telangana and West Bengal, which had complied with its orders. The court had also clarified that the Chief Secretary of Delhi must appear in person, notwithstanding the filing of a report by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi.
Kerala was the only State whose Chief Secretary sought exemption from appearance on Monday, with the Principal Secretary appearing on its behalf.
Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the State of Madhya Pradesh, informed the Bench that all States and Union Territories had since filed their compliance affidavits pursuant to the October 27 order. “All States have filed their affidavits, though with some delay, for which they have tendered apologies,” he submitted.
The Bench observed that it would shortly issue directions to curb dog-bite incidents, noting that such attacks continue to occur despite repeated orders of the court. It had earlier remarked that the recurrence of such incidents brings disrepute to the country globally.
The court directed that the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) be impleaded as a party to the proceedings and asked senior advocate Gaurav Agarwal, who is assisting the court as amicus curiae, to prepare a consolidated checklist of compliance under various parameters based on the affidavits filed by the States and Union Territories.
Mr. Mehta also suggested that victims of dog-bite incidents should be allowed to participate in the proceedings, pointing out that several private individuals and organisations had already sought to be heard. Earlier, the court had permitted animal welfare groups and individuals to intervene, subject to the deposit of ₹2 lakh and ₹25,000, respectively, with the Supreme Court registry towards a fund for the welfare of stray dogs.
Accepting the suggestion, the Bench allowed dog-bite victims to be impleaded as parties, waiving the earlier requirement of a prior deposit.
Taking note that all States and Union Territories had now filed their compliance reports, the Bench dispensed with its previous direction requiring the personal appearance of Chief Secretaries. However, it cautioned that “their presence would again become necessary in case there is any default in compliance with orders passed by this court.”
The court had earlier been critical of the States' “sleeping over” its order to file status reports and had declined to exempt Chief Secretaries from personal appearance to explain their non-compliance.
The suo motu proceedings stemmed from mounting public concern over a spate of dog-bite incidents, including the death of a six-year-old girl, which had prompted an earlier order by a Bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan calling for the mass capture of stray dogs across Delhi and neighbouring districts without release.
However, the directive drew sharp criticism from animal welfare groups, which warned that the measure would amount to cruelty and contravene statutory mandates. Subsequently, in a rare administrative step, Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai withdrew the matter from Justice Pardiwala's Bench and reassigned it to a three-judge Bench headed by Justice Nath.
Terming the earlier directive “too harsh,” the Justice Nath-led Bench on August 22 had ordered that stray dogs be sterilised, vaccinated, and released back into their respective localities, except in cases where they were rabid or displayed aggressive behaviour. The States were granted eight weeks to report on the implementation of the ABC Rules, which require local authorities to conduct sterilisation and anti-rabies drives under the catch–neuter–vaccinate–release model.
Published - November 03, 2025 12:05 pm IST
Supreme Court / judiciary (system of justice)
Source: TheHindu
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Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said that Kashmiris are apprehensive about travelling outside the Union Territory as they are “being portrayed as suspects” after the Delhi blast, The Indian Express reported
3 months ago
