Stray dogs case: No respect for court’s order; chief secretaries to appear physically,

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday refused to allow Solicitor General Tushar Mehta’s request to exempt Chief Secretaries of states and Union Territories from appearing in person in the stray dog menace case.

The two-judge bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta, said that there was no respect for the order of the court, as it made it clear that the Chief Secretaries will have to appear physically before the court on November 3.The court noted that it is trying to solve the issues which should be solved by the state governments.

The top court also rejected the plea of the Solicitor General requesting direction from the court to allow the Chief Secretaries to appear through video conferencing mode.

“Sorry, they have to come physically to the court,” the Court said.Your officers don’t read newspapers? They don’t read social media? They want a formal notice to be issued to them?” the bench, led by Justice Nath had said.

Bihar and many other states allegedly failed to file the compliance affidavit in the case following which, the top court decided to direct those state’s Chief Secretaries for their personal presence in it on November 3.

It said all chief secretaries, except those of Telangana and West Bengal, should be present before it on November 3. otherwise, “we will hold the court in auditorium,” it 

This comes a day after the Supreme Court rejected the Bihar government’s plea seeking exemption for the state’s Chief Secretary from personal appearance in the case.

“When we require them to come and file compliance affidavit, they are just sleeping over it. No respect for the order of the court.