P&H High Court Flags Poor Nutrition Of Dogs In Chandigarh's Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals Society, Orders Local Commissioner To Monitor

The Punjab and Haryana High Court recently raised serious concerns over the functioning of the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), Chandigarh, after a court-appointed Local Commissioner reported issues including non-payment of staff salaries, inadequate nutrition for animals and concerns regarding their upkeep.Taking note of the report, the Court directed the SPCA to file an affidavit detailing the steps it would take to ensure that the nutritional requirements of animals housed at the shelter are properly met.The order was passed by Justice Alka Sarin while hearing two contempt petitions filed by Shaurya Madan and Sehjeevi Foundation Charitable Trust.A Local Commissioner, Advocate Shruti Sharma, had been appointed by the Court on March 10, 2026 to inspect the facility and submit a report regarding the condition of animals and functioning of the shelter.During the hearing, the Local Commissioner informed the Court that some employees of the SPCA had not been paid their salaries, which was one of the reasons for alleged neglect of animals at the facility.Counsel for the Chandigarh Administration submitted two government orders before the Court showing that financial assistance of ₹50 lakh had been sanctioned for the SPCA in May 2025 and another ₹70 lakh had been released in November 2025.However, counsel for the SPCA stated that administrative issues had delayed salary disbursement, adding that salaries for January 2026 had now been released and February salaries would be cleared within a day or two.Volunteers Allowed With Limited AccessDuring the hearing, the Court was informed that a detailed volunteer registration form had earlier been circulated, which required several declarations from volunteers.Counsel for the SPCA clarified that volunteers would now only need to submit their name, two photographs and identity proof, along with an undertaking to comply with standard operating procedures.It was agreed between the parties that no more than five volunteers would be allowed to visit the SPCA at any given time. Photography and videography by volunteers would be permitted only between 2 PM and 3 PM.The parties further agreed that any volunteer engaging in unruly behaviour would be barred from entering the premises.CCTV Monitoring OrderedThe petitioners had also sought access to CCTV footage from the shelter, citing concerns about the treatment of animals. While the SPCA opposed this request, the Court directed that the Local Commissioner would be given free access to the CCTV footage in order to ensure compliance with a previous order passed by a Division Bench of the High Court in a public interest litigation.The earlier order had directed the Chandigarh Administration to ensure proper diet, medical care, clean drinking water and well-ventilated accommodation for animals at the facility.The Court clarified that any CCTV footage obtained by the Local Commissioner would not be shared with the petitioners or made public or circulated on social media.Court Questions Nutrition Provided To DogsThe Court also examined the audited balance sheet submitted by the SPCA, which showed that for the year ending March 31, 2024, the organisation had incurred total expenditure of ₹1.22 crore.Out of this amount, ₹1.09 crore was spent on salaries, while only ₹3.53 lakh was spent on animal feed and ₹57,565 on medical expenses.The Local Commissioner had also submitted photographs showing the food being served to animals, which included rice, eggs and dalia.During the hearing, veterinarians present in court informed the judge that a dog weighing around 20 kilograms requires approximately 150 grams of protein daily, which roughly translates to four to five eggs per day.However, it was revealed that around 45–47 eggs were being mixed in the entire morning feed and the same quantity in the evening feed, while approximately 47 dogs were currently housed at the shelter.The Court observed that even according to the doctors' own statements, the nutritional requirements of the animals were not being met.In light of these concerns, the High Court directed the SPCA to file an affidavit explaining the steps that would be taken to ensure proper nutrition for the animals.The Court also permitted the Local Commissioner to continue monitoring the facility. Counsel appearing for the petitioners volunteered to pay the Local Commissioner ₹10,000 per month for her visits to the SPCA.The matter will next be heard on April 7, 2026.Titles: Shaurya Madan v. Nishant Kumar Yadav & Anr. and Sehjeevi Foundation Charitable Trust v. Nishant Kumar Yadav & Ors.Mr. Anand Chhibbar, Senior Advocate with Ms. Ateevraj Sandhu, Advocate for the petitioner in COCP-4465-2025.Mr. Anurag Chopra, Advocate and Ms. Himani Jamwal, Advocate for the petitioner in COCP-5244-2025.Mr. Viraj Gandhi, Junior Panel Counsel for respondent No.1 in both cases.Ms. Armaan Saggar, Advocate for respondent No.2 in COCP-5244-2025 and for respondent No.3 in COCP-4465-2025.Mr. ...

P&H High Court Flags Poor Nutrition Of Dogs In Chandigarh's Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals Society, Orders Local Commissioner To Monitor

LIVELAW NEWS NETWORK

Tags