The High Court of Punjab and Haryana has summoned the additional chief secretary (animal husbandry), Haryana, over the State Govt’s failure to provide land & other facilities to the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) for building infirmaries & animal shelters in several districts of the state. The ACS has been asked to appear in person before the High Court on Nov 17 to explain why the Contempt of Court proceedings be not initiated against him for wilful disobedience of the directions passed by the Apex Court in this matter.
“The state government had been directed to file a status report at the time when notice of motion was issued. No such report has also been furnished... no tangible explanation has been put forth explaining the inaction... in implementing the provisions of Rule 4 of the Rules of 2001 as also the orders passed by the Supreme Court. It has taken more than two decades & a prolonged wait by the petitioner society to approach this court for seeking implementation of the statutory provisions,” Justice Vinod S Bhardwaj observed while hearing a petition filed by Mowgliaid Animal Welfare Society.
The petitioner alleged blatant disregard of the statutory provisions notified under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 & the rules framed thereunder. His lawyer contended that despite the rules having been notified in 2001, necessitating the establishment of infirmaries & animal shelters by the State Govt to advance welfare of animals & to address the issue of safety of the citizens, necessary action was not taken. He also referred to a letter dated June 30, 2020, issued by the Animal Welfare Board of India, regarding the directions issued by the Supreme Court in the cases ‘Geetha Seshmani versus Union of India and Others’ & ‘Gauri Maulekhi versus Union of India & Others’.
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