SC Pulls Up States Over Stray Dogs, Warns Chief Secretaries
SC Pulls Up States Over Stray Dogs, Warns Chief Secretaries
Supreme Court slams inaction on stray dogs, demanding tangible reforms in ABC rules, data audits, and removal of animals from public spaces.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday expressed displeasure over what it described as inadequate and poorly implemented measures by several states to deal with the growing menace of stray dogs, flagging serious gaps in sterilisation, creation of dog pounds, and removal of animals from educational and institutional premises. Maharashtra was commended for creating an online dashboard tracking dog bites, sterilisations, vaccinations and veterinary facilities. (ANI) A bench of justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and NV Anjaria warned that states which had filed vague or misleading affidavits would face “strong strictures”, remarking that much of the information placed before the court appeared to be “total eye wash” and “just storytelling”. The court was hearing a batch of matters concerning implementation of the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules and its own earlier directions on removal of stray dogs and cattle from highways and sensitive institutional areas such as hospitals and schools. ALSO READ | Remarks on stray dog feeders were made ‘very seriously’: SC Amicus curiae and senior advocate Gaurav Agrawal told the court that he had assessed each state on four parameters -- functioning of ABC centres, availability of shelters and dog pounds, removal of animals from institutional areas, and steps taken to prevent stray cattle and dogs from entering highways. Across the board, he said, there was a glaring lack of audits, timelines and capacity planning. The bench reiterated its interim directions issued in November 2025, which require states and the National Highways Authority of India to remove stray animals from highways and institutional areas, fence educational and health institutions, and ensure that dogs removed from such premises are not released back into the same locations. Warning states against complacency, the court said it would not hesitate to summon chief secretaries again if tangible improvement was not seen. “If you had said you don’t have information and need
