Stray dogs case: Supreme Court declines to exempt Bihar chief secretary from appearing before it on November 3

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday declined to accept the Bihar government's request to exempt its chief secretary from personal appearance before it on November 3 in the stray dogs case, in view of impending Assembly elections.

A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta rejected the plea, saying the Chief Secretary has nothing to do with election.

"There is Election Commission which would take care. Don't worry. Let the chief secretary come. So you (Chief Secretary) come here," the bench told the counsel appearing for the state.

Bihar Assembly elections are scheduled on November 6 and 11 and votes will be counted on November 14.

Earlier on October 27, the Supreme Court directed the chief secretaries of almost all states and Union Territories to appear before it on November 3 to explain why no compliance affidavits have been filed yet in the stray dogs case.

Bihar and many other states 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.

The court had on August 22, reversed an earlier order directing authorities to remove all stray dogs to shelters and said they can be released to the same area from where they were captured after proper sterilisation and immunisation, except those infected with rabies or exhibiting aggressive behaviour. It barred the feeding of the dogs in public places.

The August 22 order expanded the scope of the stray dogs case beyond the Delhi NCR and directed that all states and Union Territories be made parties in the matter, and instructed them to file compliance affidavit.