SC Orders Stray Dogs Kept Out of Schools, Hospitals, Bus Stands, Railway Stations

In response to an alarming rise in dog-bite incidents, the Supreme Court on Friday issued a comprehensive set of orders aimed at managing the population of stray dogs and other animals in public spaces. The Court has directed that all educational institutions, hospitals, public sports complexes, bus stands, depots, and railway stations must be properly fenced to prevent the entry of stray dogs.

The responsibility for this initiative falls on local self-government institutions, which are ordered to pick up stray dogs from these areas. After vaccination and sterilization in accordance with the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, the dogs must be shifted to designated dog shelters, according to a report in Live Law.

The Court explicitly stated that stray dogs must not be released to the same place where it was picked up. It observed that "Permitting the same would frustrate the very purpose of liberating such institutions from the presence of stray dogs."

A bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and NV Anjaria, hearing the suo motu Stray Dogs matter, also directed local bodies to conduct periodic inspections to ensure these premises remain free of stray dog habitats.

The Court's directives extended beyond dogs to include stray cattle and other animals on roads and highways. Affirming directions from the Rajasthan High Court, the bench ordered that "a joint coordinated drive shall be undertaken to immediately remove all such animals found on highways/roadways/expressways, including cattle." These animals are to be shifted to goshalas or shelter homes.

The Court warned that Chief Secretaries of all states and Union Territories must ensure strict compliance, holding officers personally responsible, and must file a status report within eight weeks.

This order culminates a series of legal proceedings that began on July 28, when a different bench took suo motu cognizance of the issue based on a news report. On August 11, that bench ordered authorities in Delhi-NCR to pick up and relocate stray dogs to shelters, barring their release.

However, in a dramatic turn, the case was transferred to the three-judge bench led by Justice Nath on August 13 after lawyers pointed out conflicts with previous orders. On August 22, the new bench stayed the August 11 directions, opining that the "direction given in the order dated 11th August, 2025, prohibiting the release of the treated and vaccinated dogs seems to be too harsh."

Clarifying its stance based on the ABC Rules, the bench stated that after sterilization and immunization, dogs must be released back to their original areas, except those that are rabid or aggressive. It also prohibited public feeding of strays, directing the creation of dedicated feeding spaces, and reiterated that no one should obstruct municipal authorities from picking up dogs. The scope of the matter was expanded pan-India, with the Court intending to formulate a national policy.