The High Court of Kerala on Wednesday has issued a notice to Union Minister Maneka Gandhi after hearing a petition filed against her, alleging that a stray-dog-catching contract has been cancelled by a panchayat as the Minister’s office had given a telephonic directive.

The Timesof India reports that Justice V Chitambaresh issued the order during the admission hearing of the petition filed by Sebastian Mathew alias O M Joy of Perumbavoor in the district. The court ordered sending an urgent notice to the minister by speed post.

The petitioner had reportedly obtained a contract for catching 100 stray dogs from Ayavana panchayat in Ernakulam but the panchayat later cancelled the contract.

The clarification from the Panchayat for cancelling the contract, according to the secretary, was that it got a telephonic instruction from the minister Maneka Gandhi’s office to cancel the contract. A copy of the panchayat's order has also been produced in the court.