TAKING NOTE OF what it termed an “alarming rise in dog bite incidents” across the country, the Supreme Court on Friday directed all States and Union Territories to ensure that stray dogs are removed from the premises of hospitals, educational institutions, sports complexes, bus terminals, and railway stations.
A Bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and N.V. Anjaria said such premises must be properly fenced and secured to prevent the entry of stray dogs. The Court made it clear that the dogs once picked up must not be released back into the same area.
They will not be released back in the same area since releasing them back will “frustrate the very purpose” of securing such premises and addressing public safety concerns.
The Court further held that it would be the duty of local authorities to identify, capture, and relocate stray dogs from these institutions/areas to authorised shelters after vaccination and sterilisation, in accordance with the Animal Birth Control Rules.
Directing strict compliance, the Bench said the Chief Secretaries of all States and Union Territories would be personally accountable for enforcing the order. Each such premises, it said, must also have a designated nodal officer responsible for supervision and upkeep, while municipal bodies and panchayats must conduct regular inspections over the next three months and submit their findings to the Court.
They will not be released back in the same area since releasing them back will “frustrate the very purpose” of securing such premises and addressing public safety concerns.
The Bench sought status reports within eight weeks, detailing the mechanism adopted by States and Union Territories to comply with its directions.
In a related directive, the apex court instructed all State governments, Union Territories, and agencies including the National Highways Authority of India (‘NHAI’) to clear stray cattle and other animals from national and State highways and roads, and to ensure they are housed in appropriate shelters and taken care of.
The order came in an ongoing suo motu proceedings concerning the growing menace of stray dogs across the country.
On August 22, a three-judge Bench comprising Justices Nath, Mehta, and Anjaria had modified its earlier August 11 order on stray dogs, clarifying that captured dogs must be sterilised, dewormed, vaccinated, and released back to their original localities — except those suffering from rabies, suspected to be rabid, or showing aggressive behaviour.
At the same time, the Court prohibited public feeding of stray dogs on streets and directed that dedicated feeding points be created, while stressing the need for a uniform national policy on stray dog management.
Stating that the issue required a “holistic approach,” the August 22 order had stayed the earlier directive of August 11, issued by Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan, which had required that all stray dogs in Delhi-NCR be permanently housed in shelters and not returned to the streets.
Expanding the issue to a pan-India scale, the Court had said that municipal bodies nationwide must ensure that only sterilised and immunised dogs are released back into their localities, while rabid or dangerously aggressive dogs may be quarantined or kept in shelters. “Dogs that are picked up shall be sterilised, dewormed, vaccinated and released back to the same area,” the Bench directed.
The August 22 order marked a significant departure from the August 11 ruling, which had completely barred the release of stray dogs. The Court said the modification was necessary to align with the Animal Birth Control (‘ABC’) Rules and to adopt a practical framework for coexistence between humans and animals.
The Court also directed every municipal authority to create designated feeding spaces in each ward based on the dog population and to display notice boards clearly indicating permitted feeding areas. Feeding on public roads and streets was expressly prohibited. “Persons found feeding dogs in violation of this direction shall be liable to action under the relevant framework,” the order said, further instructing authorities to set up helplines for reporting violations.
Extending the scope of the matter beyond Delhi-NCR, the Bench impleaded all States, UTs, Secretaries of Animal Husbandry Departments, and municipal corporations for compliance with the ABC Rules, and transferred similar cases pending before High Courts to itself to facilitate the formulation of a comprehensive national policy on stray dogs.
The suo motu proceedings began after the earlier two-judge bench took cognisance of a July 28 news report titled “City hounded by strays and kids pay price”.
The suo motu proceedings began after the earlier two-judge bench took cognisance of a July 28 news report titled “City hounded by strays and kids pay price”. On August 11, Justice Pardiwala and Justice Mahadevan ordered Delhi-NCR to clear localities of stray dogs within eight weeks, house them in shelters and ensure none were released back.
The August 11 order sparked widespread protests from animal rights groups and prompted concerns over conflicts with earlier Supreme Court rulings emphasising compassion and sterilisation rather than removal.