Stray dogs case: No respect for court's order; chief secretaries to appear physically, says SC
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Friday refused to accept the request of Solicitor General Tushar Mehta that chief secretaries of states, except West Bengal and Telangana, be allowed to appear virtually before the court on November 3 in the stray dogs case.
Mehta mentioned the matter before a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, which made it clear that the chief secretaries will have to appear physically before the court on November 3.
"When we require them to come and file compliance affidavit, they are just sleeping over it. No respect for the order of the court. Then alright, Let them come," Justice Nath said.
Mehta urged the bench that instead of appearing physically, the chief secretaries be allowed to appear before the court virtually.
While hearing the stray dogs matter on October 27, the top court had directed the chief secretaries of all the states, except West Bengal and Telangana, to remain present before it on November 3 to explain why compliance affidavits were not filed despite the court's August 22 order.
On August 22, the apex court expanded the scope of the stray dogs case beyond the confines of Delhi-National Capital Region, and directed that all states and UTs be made parties in the matter.
It had directed the municipal authorities to file an affidavit of compliance with complete statistics of resources like dog pounds, veterinarians, dog-catching personnel, and specially-modified vehicles and cages available as on date for the purpose of compliance of the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules.
The bench had also impleaded the states and UTs in the matter while observing that application of ABC Rules was uniform all over India.
The apex court is hearing a suo motu case which was initiated on July 28 over a media report on stray dog bites leading to rabies, particularly among children, in the national capital.
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Swamiji fires gun into the air in Kalaburagi village, video goes viral
Kalaburagi: An incident involving a swamiji firing a gun into the air has been reported from Udachan village in Afzalpur taluk of Kalaburagi district. The act, captured on video, has since gone viral on social media.
The swamiji has been identified as Sri Shantalinga Shivacharya, pontiff of the Hiremath of Sri Shankaralingeshwara Samsthana. According to reports, the incident took place on Sunday evening within the premises of the math, where the swamiji allegedly fired a single-barrel gun into the air.
This is not the first time the swami has courted controversy. Last year, he was reportedly found driving erratically under the influence of alcohol in Salotagi village of neighbouring Indi taluk, following which members of the public confronted him. He later fled from the math, sources said.
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More recently, during the annual fair of the Sri Shankaralingeshwara Math in Udachan village, the swami had arrived at the village with police protection, claiming to be the rightful pontiff of the math. Despite opposition from villagers, he reportedly went ahead and conducted rituals related to the fair.
The latest incident of firing the gun into the air has triggered criticism, especially after the video surfaced online. Further action, if any, is awaited from the authorities.
