Supreme Court Rebukes States for Failing to Implement Stray Dog Measures

Post by : Raina Nasser

On Monday the Supreme Court of India sharply reprimanded several state administrations for neglecting its August directive to capture, sterilise and release stray dogs across the country. The court’s rebuke followed a spate of reported attacks that highlighted gaps in local responses.

A visibly concerned bench warned that the nation’s international reputation was being harmed by the continuing incidents and administrative inertia. “You were given two months — and still no substantive reply,” the judges observed, conveying deep dissatisfaction with the pace of implementation.

The court noted that only West Bengal, Telangana and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi had submitted responses, and even those were filed during the Diwali recess and not formally recorded. The three-judge bench — Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and NV Anjaria — queried why the Delhi government had not furnished a formal reply and ordered all state and union territory chief secretaries to appear in person at the next hearing to account for delays.

The bench’s admonition was driven by recent violent episodes: a child mauled in Pune, a performer bitten during a stage act in Kannur, reports of an entire family attacked in Lucknow, and a fresh incident in Warangal among others. These events have escalated public concern and reignited debate over stray dog management.

Some administrations have started action. Rajasthan’s Department of Autonomous Governance has directed local bodies to map feeding sites and work with resident welfare associations and animal welfare groups. Under the stated plan, animals will be treated, sterilised, tagged and returned to their neighbourhoods in keeping with the Animal Birth Control rules.

In the Delhi-NCR area, Noida authorities have begun surveys and mapping to support targeted sterilisation and vaccination drives. The Greater Chennai Corporation reported vaccinating more than 46,000 dogs against rabies and microchipping over 12,000 animals by mid-September to aid tracking.

The court recalled that its August 22 order amended an earlier decision that had authorised large-scale collection of stray dogs in Delhi-NCR. The revised direction specifies that only dogs which have been sterilised and vaccinated should be released, excluding animals showing rabies symptoms or aggressive behaviour.

The hearing underscored the judiciary’s impatience with slow compliance. With new attacks continuing to surface, the Supreme Court signalled that authorities can no longer treat public safety and animal welfare as optional, and that forthcoming hearings will test how seriously states treat their obligations.