Supreme Court Flags Rising Stray Dog Menace

The Supreme Court on Wednesday raised serious concerns over the growing stray dog menace across the country, observing that even judges had recently suffered accidents involving stray animals, underscoring the gravity of the issue.

A three-judge bench headed by Justice Vikram Nath noted that in the past 20 days, two judges in Rajasthan had met with accidents caused by stray animals, with one sustaining severe spinal injuries. “It is a very serious issue,” the bench observed during the hearing.

The court also flagged widespread non-compliance with its earlier directions ordering authorities to impound stray animals and relocate them to designated shelters. The bench said its orders were being openly defied in several parts of the country.

On November 7, a bench of Justices Sandeep Mehta and N.V. Anjaria had directed authorities across India to remove stray dogs from public places such as educational institutions, bus stops and railway stations to curb rising cases of dog bites and rabies-related deaths. The court had also ordered the removal of stray animals from national and state highways to prevent accidents.

The earlier order had made it clear that stray dogs, even after being sterilised, should not be released back into the areas or colonies from where they were picked up. The Centre, states and Union Territories were directed to file compliance reports.

The matter came up again on Wednesday amid multiple applications filed by animal-rights groups, prompting the court to make fresh observations on the growing public safety risks posed by stray animals.

Appearing for the Centre, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta argued that residents of gated communities should have the authority to decide whether stray dogs are allowed to roam within their premises. He warned that minority objections should not override broader safety concerns, particularly for children.

Advocates representing animal lovers countered that media reports on rabies-related deaths and dog-bite incidents were exaggerated. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal argued that isolated incidents should not be used to justify sweeping measures and called for a coordinated national plan to control the stray dog population.

Sibal suggested adopting the CSVR model — captured, sterilised, vaccinated and released — followed in several developed countries, stressing that population control, rather than removal alone, was the sustainable solution.