'Alarming Rise In Dog Bite Cases' : Supreme Court Orders Removal Of Stray Dogs From Premises Of Schools, Hospitals, Bus Stands Etc
The Court ordered that the dogs picked up from these areas must not be released to the same spot.
Having regard to the "alarming rise of dog-bite incidents", the Supreme Court on Friday ordered that every educational institution, hospital, public sports complexes, bus stand and depots, railway stations, etc must be fenced properly to prevent the entry of stray dogs.It will be the responsibility of the concerned local self-government institutions to pick up stray dogs from...
Having regard to the "alarming rise of dog-bite incidents", the Supreme Court on Friday ordered that every educational institution, hospital, public sports complexes, bus stand and depots, railway stations, etc must be fenced properly to prevent the entry of stray dogs.
It will be the responsibility of the concerned local self-government institutions to pick up stray dogs from such institutions/areas, and shift them to designated dog shelters after vaccination and sterilisation in accordance with the Animal Birth Control Rules. The Court further ordered that stray dogs picked up from these areas must not be released to the same spot from which they were picked up. "Permitting the same would frustrate the very purpose of liberating such institutions from the presence of stray dogs," the Court observed.
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and NV Anjaria passed the order in the suo motu Stray Dogs matter. The Court directed that the local bodies must carry out periodic inspections to ensure that no stray dog habitat exists in such premises.
After the order was pronounced, Senior Advocates Anand Grover, Karuna Nundy etc, urged the bench to consider their submissions before signing the order. Nundy said that if dogs are removed, new dogs will occupy the same spot. The bench however refused to entertain the submissions.
The Court took note of various reports regarding dog-bite incidents across the country. Amicus Curiae Senior Advocate Gaurav Agarwal also submitted a report.
The directions are as follows :
Having regard to the alarming rise in incidents of dog bites within institutional areas such as educational institutions, hospitals, sports complexes, bus stands/depots (including Inter-State Bus Terminals) and railway stations, this Court deems it appropriate to issue the following directions in the interest of public safety, health, and management of stray dogs: -
A. The State Governments and Union Territories shall through their respective local/ municipal authorities, within a period of two weeks, identify all Government and private educational institutions, hospitals (including district hospitals, primary health centres, and medical colleges), public sports complexes or stadia, bus stands/depots (including Inter-State Bus Terminals) and railway stations situated within their territorial limits.
B. The administrative heads of the aforesaid institutions shall through their respective local/ municipal authorities, under the overall supervision of the District Magistrate concerned, ensure that the premises are secured by adequate fencing, boundary walls, gates and such other structural or administrative measures as may be necessary to prevent the ingress of stray dogs. The said exercise shall be completed as soon as possible and preferably within a period of 8 weeks from today.
C. The management of every educational institution, hospital, sports complex, bus stand/depot (including Inter-State Bus Terminal) and railway station identified under Direction (A) shall designate a Nodal Officer responsible for the upkeep and cleanliness of the premises and for ensuring that stray dogs do not enter or inhabit the campus. The details of the said officer shall be displayed prominently at the entrance and notified to the jurisdictional municipal body/authority.
D. The local municipal authorities and panchayats shall carry out regular inspections, at least once in every three months, of all such premises to ensure that no stray dog habitats exist within or in the immediate vicinity of these institutions. Any lapse in this regard shall be viewed seriously, and responsibility shall be fixed upon the concerned municipal officials/administrative authorities.
E. It shall be the responsibility of the jurisdictional municipal body/authority to forthwith remove every stray dog found within the premises of an educational institution, hospital (public or private), sports complex, bus stand/depot (including Inter-State Bus Terminal) or railway station and to shift such animal/s 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. We have consciously directed the non-release of such stray dogs to the same location from which they were picked up, as permitting the same would frustrate the very effect of the directions issued to liberate such institutional areas from the presence of stray dogs.
F. All Government and private hospitals shall maintain a mandatory stock of anti-rabies vaccines and immunoglobulin at all times.
G. Every school and educational institution shall be directed by the Ministry of Education, Government of India, to conduct awareness sessions for students and staff on preventive behaviour around animals, first-aid in case of bites, and immediate reporting protocols.
H. The management of stadiums and sports complexes shall ensure the deployment of security or ground-keeping personnel specifically tasked with around the clock vigil against the entry or habitation of stray dogs.
I. The railway authorities having jurisdiction over the railway stations as well as the State transport corporations and municipal authorities having jurisdiction over bus stands, depots and Inter- State Bus Terminals, shall ensure that such public-transport premises/facilities are effectively secured and maintained so as to prevent the habitation or movement of stray dogs within their premises. Proper waste-management systems shall be implemented to eliminate food sources that attract animals, and regular inspections shall be conducted to detect and address the presence of stray dogs.
J. Animal Welfare Board of India shall, within four weeks, issue detailed Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for prevention of dog bites and management of stray dogs in institutional premises (public or private) including but not limited to Government and private educational institutions, hospitals (including district hospitals, primary health centres, and medical colleges), and sports complexes or stadia, to be uniformly adopted across all States and Union Territories.
Directions to remove stray cattle from roads and expressways
The Court further passed directions for the removal of stray cattle and other animals from roads and highways. The Court affirmed the directions issued by the Rajasthan High Court for removal of stray cattle and other animals from highways and expressways. "A joint coordinated drive shall be undertaken to immediately remove all such animals found on highways/roadways/expressways, including cattle," the Court observed. The animals must be shifted to goshalas or shelter homes. "Chief Secretaries of all states/UTs shall ensure strict compliance with this. Otherwise, officers will be held personally responsible. Status to be filed in 8 weeks, indicating mechanism developed to carry out directions," the Court warned.
Background
On July 28, a bench of Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice R Mahadevan took suo motu cognizance of the stray dog issue based on a Times of India report titled "In a city hounded by strays, kids pay price".
On August 11, the bench expressed serious concerns about the menace of dog bites/rabies and passed directions for Delhi government authorities to relocate the dogs to shelters while barring their release. The bench ordered the authorities in the National Capital Territory of Delhi to immediately start picking up stray dogs from all localities and shift them to dog shelters. The directions also extended to Noida, Gurugram and Ghaziabad.
At the same time, the Court warned that if any individual or organization obstructed the authorities from picking up stray dogs, they would face legal consequences. The authorities can create a dedicated force to pick up the strays, the Court clarified.
In a dramatic turn of events, on August 13, the suo motu case was shifted to a 3-judge bench led by Justice Vikram Nath, after some lawyers mentioned before CJI BR Gavai that those directions were in conflict with the previous orders passed by other benches.
On August 14, the 3-judge bench heard the matter and reserved order on whether to stay the August 11 directions. On August 22, it stayed the directions issued by Justice Pardiwala-led bench and opined: "direction given in the order dated 11th August, 2025, prohibiting the release of the treated and vaccinated dogs seems to be too harsh".
On the basis of Rule 11(9) of the ABC Rules, the bench clarified that stray dogs, which are picked up, must be released back to the same area from where they were picked up, after sterilization, deworming and immunization, except those dogs which are infected with rabies, suspected to be infected with rabies or are exhibiting aggressive behavior.
The bench also ordered a prohibition on public feeding of stray dogs and directed the creation of dedicated feeding spaces. Further, it reiterated the direction in the August 11 order that no individual or organization should obstruct the municipal authorities from picking up the dogs in terms of the ABC rules.
Moreover, the bench expanded the scope of the matter beyond Delhi-NCR and extended it pan-India. All States and UTs, Secretaries of Animal Husbandry department, Secretaries of local bodies and municipal corporations were impleaded to ensure the compliance with the ABC Rules. The bench also said that it will transfer to Supreme Court similar petitions pending in High Courts to formulate a national policy on the issue.
On October 27, the Court summoned Chief Secretaries of all States/Union Territories, except West Bengal and Telangana, for not filing affidavits regarding the steps taken by them to implement the ABC Rules. On October 31, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta mentioned the matter requesting the Court to allow the Chief Secretaries to appear virtually and exempt their personal appearance. But the same was not allowed. Justice Nath's bench rather expressed displeasure, saying the Court was trying to resolve issues which should have been solved by the municipal corporations and state governments, yet the Chief Secretaries sat on the Court's order and did not show respect for it.
Case Title: IN RE : 'CITY HOUNDED BY STRAYS, KIDS PAY PRICE', SMW(C) No. 5/2025
Citation : 2025 LiveLaw (SC) 1072