Today, On 19th May, The Supreme Court refused to recall its earlier directions regarding stray dogs picked up from public places like hospitals, bus stands, schools and railway stations. It said such dogs should not be released back to the same locations after vaccination and sterilisation, maintaining strict control measures.
The Supreme Court declined to recall its earlier directions that stray dogs picked up from public places such as hospitals, bus stands, schools, railway stations, and similar locations should not be released back to the same places after vaccination/sterilisation.
A bench comprising Justice Vikram Nath, Justice Sandeep Mehta, and Justice NV Anjaria dismissed a set of applications seeking modifications to the Court’s directions issued in November last year.
In effect, the Court held that stray dogs collected by authorities from the premises of public facilities must be kept in shelters.
Relying on various news reports, the Court observed,
“The menace of dog bites has extended to public places of critical areas, including airports and residential areas,”
ALSO READ: Stray Dogs Row: Supreme Court to Hear Suo Motu Case on October 27
The Bench added,
“State cannot remain a passive spectator. Court cannot remain oblivious to harsh ground realities where children, international travellers, old age people have fallen victim to dog bite incidents. Constitution doesn’t envisage a society where children, elderly people are to survive on the mercy physical strength,”
It said the issue had a staggering dimension and that the continued recurrence of such incidents points to shortcomings in implementing the Court’s directions.
The Court further directed that officials who fail to carry out the directions would be liable for contempt and disciplinary action.
The Court also dismissed applications challenging the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) issued by the Animal Welfare Board of India. In its judgment pronounced today, the Court cited reports describing deeply disturbing incidents of dog attacks on children.
It noted that young children have been mauled, older persons have been attacked, and even international travellers have faced dog attacks.
The Court stated that State authorities failed to discharge their duty to protect people’s lives from dog bites.
The Justice Sandeep Mehta remarked while delivering the judgment,
“Right to life with dignity encompasses the right to life freely without threat of harm from a dog bite attack. The state cannot remain a passive spectator. The court cannot remain oblivious to harsh ground realities where children, international travellers, old age people have fallen victim to dog bite incidents. The Constitution doesn’t envisage a society where children, elderly people are to survive on the mercy of physical strength, chance…”
Directions issued today,
- States/UTs shall take measures to enforce the Animal Welfare Board of India Rules.
- States/UTs shall set up at least one Animal Birth Control (ABC) centre in one district.
- States/UTs shall ensure adequate availability of anti-rabies vaccines and immunoglobulins.
- Officials of local bodies and institutions, who are duty-bound to implement the directions to secure premises from dogs, shall be entitled to due protection for the performance of their duties. No FIRs or criminal complaints should be ordinarily registered against them for actions taken in the discharge of their duties.
Previously, on August 22, 2025, a three-judge special bench headed by Justice Vikram Nath, along with Justices Sandeep Mehta and N.V. Anjaria, modified its earlier August 11 order that had prohibited the release of stray dogs from shelters.
The suo motu case was initiated on July 28, following media reports of rising stray dog attacks and rabies cases, particularly among children in Delhi.
Additionally, An earlier order of August 11, passed by a Bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan, had created huge controversy. That order had directed that all stray dogs in Delhi-NCR must be caught and sent to shelters within eight weeks.
The earlier order had led to strong nationwide protests from animal rights organisations, after which the present three-judge Bench changed those directions.
In the revised instructions, the Bench placed emphasis on vaccinating, sterilising and releasing stray dogs as per the Animal Birth Control Rules. After that, the Court widened the scope of the matter and passed several interim directions on connected concerns.
Importantly, on November 7, 2025, the Court issued an interim order asking all States and the NHAI to clear stray animals from highways and from institutional spaces such as hospitals, schools and educational campuses across India.
The Court also asked that both government and private educational and medical institutions be fenced within eight weeks to avoid stray dog attacks. It further directed that dogs taken away from these institutional areas must not be released back into the same locations.
Several petitions were later filed to challenge the November 7 directions.
Case Title: In Re: “City Hounded by Strays, Kids Pay Price” v. The State of Andhra Pradesh
Click Here to Read Our Reports on Stray Dogs