Shift stray dogs from institutional areas, cattle from highways: Supreme Court

Taking note of an “alarming rise” in dog bite incidents within institutional areas such as educational institutions, hospitals and railway stations, the Supreme Court on Friday directed immediate shifting of stray canines to designated shelters after due sterilisation and vaccination.

A three-judge Bench led by Justice Vikram Nath made it clear that the stray dogs picked up shall not be released back to the same location from which they were removed.

“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,” said the Bench, which also included Justice Sandeep Mehta and Justice NV Anjaria.

It directed the administrative heads of all government and private educational institutions, hospitals, primary health centres, medical colleges, public sports complexes/stadia, bus stands/depots and railway stations to 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 through their respective local/municipal authorities, under the overall supervision of the District Magistrate concerned.

“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, sports complex, bus stand/depot or railway station and to shift such animal(s) to a designated shelter after due sterilisation and vaccination...,” the Bench said.

Asking the authorities to complete the exercise as soon as possible and preferably within eight weeks from today, the Bench posted the matter for further hearing on January 13, 2026.

It directed the chief secretaries of all states and union territories to file affidavits of compliance within eight weeks, specifically indicating the steps taken to secure institutional premises and the availability of anti-rabies vaccines and immunoglobulin in all government medical facilities.

The Bench asked the states and the UTs to file comprehensive additional affidavits, specifically indicating the remedial measures undertaken to ensure full compliance with the court’s directions and to rectify the “lapses” highlighted in the report filed by amicus curiae Gaurav Agrawal.

“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,” it said.

It said any lapse in this regard shall be viewed seriously and the municipal officials/administrative authorities concerned shall be held responsible.

While dealing with a suo motu PIL on the stray dog menace initiated on July 28 following a news report about the death of a six-year-old girl in the national capital due to rabies caused by stray dog bites, the top court directed the authorities to ensure removal of all cattle and other stray animals from state highways, national highways and expressways.

The recurrence of dog bite incidents within institutional areas, including sports complexes, reflected not only administrative apathy but also a “systemic failure” to secure these premises from preventable hazards, it noted.

“The situation calls for immediate judicial intervention to safeguard the fundamental right to life and safety of citizens, especially children, patients and sportspersons, under Article 21 of the Constitution,” the Bench said.

Noting that children, the elderly and economically weaker sections bore the brunt of the menace as they were vulnerable and lacked “timely access to post-exposure prophylaxis”, the Bench said it was a matter of grave and continuing public concern that accidents caused by cattle and other stray animals on public roads had become alarmingly frequent.

“The menace of dog bites, particularly in public and private institutions that serve as spaces of learning, healing and recreation, thus constitutes not merely a public-health challenge but a matter of human safety concern. The state and its instrumentalities bear an affirmative obligation to ensure that no citizen, least of all children, elderly people and patients, are exposed to preventable injury or disease within public premises,” the Bench said.

It said all government and private hospitals shall maintain a mandatory stock of anti-rabies vaccines and immunoglobulin at all times.

The top court said the primary objective was to safeguard the fundamental right to life and safety of citizens, particularly children, students, patients and sportspersons, while ensuring compliance with the principles embodied in the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023, framed under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.

“Scientific assessments, including those conducted by the World Health Organisation and the National Centre for Disease Control, have estimated that a large ratio of animal-related deaths annually in India were attributable to rabies, with over 90 per cent of human cases resulting from bites inflicted by domestic or stray dogs,” the Bench said.