CHANDIGARH, Sept. 14 — The Punjab and Haryana High Court has transferred contempt petitions concerning stray dog bite cases to the Supreme Court, in line with recent directions from the apex court to consolidate such matters across the country.
Justice Vikas Bahl noted that the Supreme Court, on August 22, had directed impleadment of all States, Union Territories, and local bodies to ensure compliance with the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, and further ordered that all similar cases pending before High Courts be sent to Delhi for collective adjudication.
The order came on a joint request by counsel representing several municipal bodies and the state governments of Punjab, Haryana, and UT Chandigarh. The High Court Registry was instructed to forward the case files accordingly.
The contempt petitions, filed through advocates Saurabh Arora and Kunal Malwani, stem from allegations that authorities failed to comply with the High Court’s April 28, 2015 order directing the Chandigarh Administration and Municipal Corporation to effectively implement a 2013 “Comprehensive Scheme for Management of Stray Dogs.”
Former MP and animal rights activist Maneka Gandhi, a respondent in the case, was represented by advocate Kunal Dawar, while activist Sunayana Sibal appeared as intervenor through counsel Viren Sibal.
The issue was first raised by petitioner Gurmukh Singh, who approached the court after being chased by stray dogs during a morning walk in Chandigarh’s Rose Garden. He pointed to rising dog bite incidents in the city and alleged poor implementation of sterilisation and vaccination drives.
Subsequent petitions accused the municipal authorities of contempt, arguing that the dog population had multiplied despite court-monitored sterilisation programmes. In earlier hearings, the High Court had expanded the scope of the matter by directing all local bodies in Punjab and Haryana to furnish details of dog bite cases and steps taken for sterilisation and vaccination.
“This order will apply mutatis mutandis to the States of Punjab and Haryana where, at each district level, a committee will be constituted and affidavits filed about the number of dog bites reported and action taken,” the Bench had observed.
The transfer of petitions to the Supreme Court now paves the way for a consolidated nationwide hearing on stray dog management and enforcement of ABC Rules.
