More Stories

Informist, Tuesday, May 19, 2026

 

NEW DELHI – The Supreme Court upheld its November order directing the municipal corporations to remove stray dogs found within the premises of an educational institution, hospital, sports complex, bus stand or railway station and shift them to a designated shelter, after due sterilisation and vaccination, in accordance with the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023. The stray dogs so picked up shall not be released back to the same location from which they were picked up, said the apex court. Authorities may take measures that may be legally permissible, including euthanasia in case of rabid, dangerous dogs, to curb the threat to human life, said the court. It dismissed a batch of applications filed by animal rights activists seeking a modification in the court's November order.

 

The right to live with dignity encompasses the right to live freely without threat of dog bites, said the top court. The State cannot remain a passive spectator and courts cannot remain oblivious to harsh ground realities where children, international travellers, old age people have fallen victim to dog bite incidents, said a bench of Justice Vikram Nath, Justice Sandeep Mehta and Justice N.V. Anjaria. The Constitution doesn't envisage a society where children and elderly people are to survive on the mercy of physical strength and chance, said the court.

 

There has been a discernible absence of efforts by the authorities to expand and quantify infrastructure in proportion to the increasing population of stray dogs, said the court. Infrastructure had remained sporadic and lacked institutional depth, said the court. Sterilisation and vaccination drives have taken place without planning, the court said, adding that this defeats the objects of the animal birth control rules. Had the states acted with due foresight, the present situation would not have assumed such alarming proportions, said the court.

 

The bench said that it was apprised of reports that demonstrate dog bite incidents in airports, residential areas and urban centres. The occurrence of repeated dog bite incidents in the country's busiest airports in Delhi demonstrates grave inadequacy, said the bench. A German traveller was bitten in Surat, noted the court, observing that such incidents adversely affect public confidence in urban governance.

 

Stray dog bites continue to occur, said the court, adding that reports reveal that the problem has assumed deeply disturbing proportions. In Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan, alone 1,084 dog bites were reported in a month, noted the court. Young children suffered grievous injuries, including mauling of their faces, according to reports, said the court. Tamil Nadu recorded 200,000 odd dog bites incidents in the first four months of the year, said the court.

 

The top court asked states and Union territories to take measures to enforce the rules by Animal Welfare Board of India and set up at least one animal birth control centre in one district. The states and Union territories shall ensure adequate availability of anti-rabies vaccines and immunoglobulins, said the court.

 

Officials of the local bodies and institutions, who are duty-bound to implement the directions to secure the places from dogs, shall be entitled to due protection for the performance of their duties, said the court. No first information reports or criminal complaints should be ordinarily registered against them for the performance of their duties, said the court

 

The apex court asked the high courts to register suo motu cases to monitor compliance with the directions. The top court asked the National Highways Authority of India to secure highways from the menace of stray cattle. 

 

In 2025, a division bench had initiated a suo motu case on the issue of stray dogs in Delhi-National Capital Region and rising dog bite incidents. Then, the top court had passed a set of directions for keeping stray dogs out of the streets of Delhi-NCR. However, the directions passed by the apex court drew strong objections from animal welfare groups who complained of cruelty and statutory violations. The groups filed fresh pleas over the directive, complaining about inconsistencies with the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and the Animal Birth Control Rules. Consequently, then chief justice of India B.R. Gavai withdrew the matter from the division bench and reassigned it to a three-judge bench, which expanded the scope to pan-India.  End

 

Reported by Surya Tripathi

Edited by Akul Nishant Akhoury

 

For users of real-time market data terminals, Informist news is available exclusively on the NSE Cogencis WorkStation.

 

Cogencis news is now Informist news. This follows the acquisition of Cogencis Information Services Ltd. by NSE Data & Analytics Ltd., a 100% subsidiary of the National Stock Exchange of India Ltd. As a part of the transaction, the news department of Cogencis has been sold to Informist Media Pvt. Ltd.

 

Informist Media Tel +91 (11) 4220-1000

Send comments to feedback@informistmedia.com

 

© Informist Media Pvt. Ltd. 2026. All rights reserved.