The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday raised serious concerns about the condition and care of animals housed at the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) shelter in Chandigarh. While hearing contempt petitions related to animal welfare, the court examined reports indicating possible neglect and inadequate nutrition for dogs kept at the facility.
Justice Alka Sarin directed the SPCA authorities to explain how they plan to ensure proper nutrition for the animals after it emerged that the dietary requirements of the dogs were not being met.
Background of the Case
The matter arose from contempt petitions filed in connection with an earlier order passed in a public interest litigation concerning animal welfare in Chandigarh shelters. The petitions alleged that the directions issued by the court regarding proper care and maintenance of animals had not been adequately implemented.
During the hearing, a report submitted by the court-appointed Local Commissioner highlighted several issues at the SPCA facility, including complaints from employees that their salaries had not been paid, which allegedly affected their ability to work and attend to the animals.
Counsel for the Union Territory administration informed the court that financial assistance had already been sanctioned for the SPCA. According to the records presented before the court, ₹50 lakh was released in May 2025 and another ₹70 lakh in November 2025 for the functioning of the shelter.
SPCA representatives, however, said the delay in salary payments occurred due to administrative issues and assured the court that wages for January had been released and the February payments would follow shortly.
The bench also examined details of the SPCA’s audited financial statement for the year ending March 31, 2024. The records indicated that most of the annual expenditure over ₹1.09 crore out of ₹1.22 crore was spent on salaries, while only a small portion was allocated for animal feed and medical care.
Photographs submitted by the Local Commissioner reportedly showed injured dogs and feeding arrangements consisting largely of rice and eggs.
During the hearing, veterinarians present in court explained that a healthy dog weighing about 20 kilograms requires approximately 150 grams of protein daily, which would roughly translate to four to five eggs per day.
However, the court was informed that around 45–47 eggs were mixed into the total morning feed and a similar quantity in the evening feed for approximately 47 dogs in the shelter.
“The nutritional requirement of the dogs is not being met,” the court noted after considering the figures presented during the hearing.
The court also addressed concerns about transparency in the functioning of the shelter. Volunteers will be allowed to visit the SPCA facility, but the number of visitors at any given time will be limited to five. Photography and videography by volunteers will be permitted between 2:00 pm and 3:00 pm.
At the same time, the court directed that CCTV cameras at the facility must remain functional and footage should be preserved for at least one month.
To ensure compliance with earlier court directions regarding animal welfare, the Local Commissioner was granted unrestricted access to the CCTV footage. However, the footage cannot be shared with petitioners or made public on social media.
After examining the report and hearing the parties, the High Court directed the SPCA to file an affidavit detailing the steps it will take to ensure that the nutritional requirements of the animals housed at the shelter are properly met.
The matter has been listed for further hearing on April 7, 2026.
