NEW DELHI, May 19 (Agencies): The Supreme Court of India on Tuesday strongly criticised states and Union Territories over the lack of adequate infrastructure and sustained efforts to tackle the growing stray dog menace across the country, observing that authorities “cannot remain passive spectators” while citizens face increasing dog bite incidents.
A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and N. V. Anjaria refused to modify its November 2025 order directing the removal of stray dogs from public institutions such as hospitals, schools, colleges, bus stations and railway stations.
The court observed that the right to life with dignity includes the right to live without fear of harm from stray dog attacks.
“The court cannot remain oblivious to harsh ground realities where children, international travellers and elderly people have fallen victim to dog bite incidents,” the bench observed.
It further remarked that the Constitution does not envisage a society where children and senior citizens are forced to survive “at the mercy of physical strength.”
The apex court directed all states and Union Territories to strengthen implementation of the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) rules and expand infrastructure under the Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme.
The bench said authorities must establish at least one fully functional ABC centre in every district, taking into account local population density and the scale of the stray dog problem.
“Implementation of the Animal Birth Control framework largely remains sporadic, underfunded and uneven across jurisdictions,” the court said.
The Supreme Court also directed the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to take time-bound measures to address the issue of stray cattle on national highways, including deployment of decommissioned transport vehicles and establishment of monitoring and coordination mechanisms.
In a significant move, the court asked all High Courts in the country to register suo motu cases for continuous monitoring of compliance with the directions issued by the apex court.
Chief Secretaries of all states have been directed to submit compliance reports before their respective High Courts by August 7, while the Union government has also been asked to file a similar report.
The Supreme Court said consolidated compliance reports from High Courts would be placed before it on November 17 for further review of the matter.