In a significant intervention concerning the functioning of an animal shelter in Chandigarh, the Punjab and Haryana High Court stepped in to scrutinise allegations of mismanagement and neglect at the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), Sector 38. Acting on concerns raised through a Local Commissioner’s report and submissions from petitioners, the Court examined claims that employees had gone unpaid and that animals at the facility were being neglected due to administrative failures. The Bench began examining whether the shelter was complying with earlier judicial directions mandating proper food, treatment, and hygienic conditions for animals.
The controversy began when the Court-appointed Local Commissioner submitted a report indicating that certain SPCA employees had allegedly not been paid salaries, which was cited as one reason for staff not performing their duties properly. Responding to the Court’s queries, counsel for the authorities produced orders showing that the Union Territory Administration had already released Rs.50 lakh in May 2025 and Rs.70 lakh in November 2025 as financial assistance to the SPCA, arguing that the responsibility for disbursing salaries lay with the organisation.
The SPCA, however, acknowledged “administrative issues” in salary disbursement and informed the Court that wages for January 2026 had now been released and February salaries would follow shortly. Meanwhile, concerns were also raised regarding volunteer access, prompting the parties to agree on a regulated system allowing limited volunteers with basic identification, defined working roles, and adherence to SOPs while restricting their presence to a maximum of five at a time.
Examining the Local Commissioner’s findings and financial records placed before it, the Court expressed concern over the apparent mismatch between the SPCA’s expenditure and the resources spent on animal welfare. Noting that the audited balance sheet reflected over ₹1.09 crore spent on salaries but only a small fraction on feed and medical care, the Court also examined photographic evidence showing the food being served to animals. During the hearing, veterinary doctors informed the Bench that an average 20-kg dog requires about 150 grams of protein daily, roughly four to five eggs.
However, the Court found that the current feeding arrangement meant that “the dogs are not even being fed two eggs each in the entire day,” indicating that their nutritional needs were not being met. To ensure compliance with earlier judicial directions mandating proper diet, treatment, and clean conditions, the Court granted the Local Commissioner unrestricted access to the SPCA’s CCTV footage and directed the SPCA to file an affidavit detailing steps it would take to ensure adequate nutrition and improved upkeep of the animals.
Case Title: COCP-5244-2025
Case No.: Shaurya Madan vs. Nishant Kumar Yadav And Another
Coram: Hon'ble Justice Alka Sarin
Advocate for the Petitioner: Sr. Adv. Anand Chhibbar, Adv. Ateevraj Sandhu, Adv. Anurag Chopra, Adv. Himani Jamwal,
Advocate for the Respondent: Adv. Viraj Gandhi, Adv. Armaan Saggar, Adv. Siddharth Arora, Adv. Navraj Narang,
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