‘Raise all issues before Supreme Court’: Telangana HC transfers plea on mass culling of dogs at Hyderabad Symbiosis campus to SC

The petition by V Rishihas Reddy, an advocate and former student of the University’s Law School, pertains to an incident where 40 dogs from Symbiosis Law School, Hyderabad, were allegedly put in a truck and taken away to be culled on January 9.

The petitioner contended that the action of the university at the behest of the tehsildar of Nandigama Mandal, sarpanch of Modallaguda Gram Panchayat, and the campus administrator of Hyderabad campus was illegal, arbitrary, and in violation of the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023 and the Supreme Court order dated November 7, 2025.

Seeking a court-monitored investigation and trial regarding the alleged animal cruelty and illegal culling, the petition urged the court to direct the Station House Officer of Nandigama police station to register a First Information Report (FIR) against the respondents concerned under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, and relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.

In his petition, Reddy sought the court’s intervention to declare the failure of Respondents 1 to 4 (state government, district collector, grama panchayat, and Department of Animal Husbandry) to establish an ABC Centre in Rangareddy District as illegal, and consequently direct the immediate identification of land and establishment of the facility.

The petitioner’s counsel, A Srinath, argued that his case was not merely about dog bites but their illegal culling. Stressing the urgency of the matter, he sought an interim protection to prevent further culling of dogs. As the bench pointed out that the petitioner’s statements had no substantiation but only social media posts, the counsel submitted that the students and staff at the university informed him about the deaths, and they were confirmed by the panchayat officers.

Recording the submissions, the bench noted that the counsel for the petitioner had sought to distinguish the present public interest litigation (PIL) from the matters before the Supreme Court. “But, we are of the opinion that the issues raised in the writ petition are in respect of the common issues relating to the stray dogs menace pending before the Apex court,” the bench observed in its order. Further, it added, “Therefore, in view of the specific directions of the Apex court in paragraph 36 of the order dated August 22, 2025, the Registry is directed to ensure that the matter is transferred to the Apex court for its consideration.”