The recommendation also referred to recent directions of the Supreme Court on implementing the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023 in a scientific and humane manner.
(File Photo)Stray Dogs Supreme Court Verdict Updates: The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed the applications challenging the standard operating procedure (SOP) in line with its previous directions in the stray dogs case.
The applications had challenged the November 27, 2025, SOP issued by the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) for stray dog management.
The top court had then directed all states and Union Territories to remove stray dogs from the premises of educational institutions, hospitals, sports complexes, bus stands and depots, and railway stations, “to a designated shelter, after due sterilisation and vaccination in accordance with the Animal Birth Control Rules”.
Dismissing the challenge to the SOP, a bench headed by Justice Vikram Nath and comprising Justices Sandeep Mehta and N V Anjaria said, “This court finds no reason whatsoever to interfere with the SOP dated November 27, 2025, issued by the AWBI in compliance with the directions of this court. The challenge made to the SOPs, both on the grounds of the alleged excess of jurisdiction as well as on the basis of the inconsistency with the statutory scheme, does not merit acceptance in light of the conclusions recorded herein above. Accordingly, all interlocutory applications challenging the validity of the said SOPs stand dismissed.”
The bench also remarked that had the states and Union Territories acted with due diligence and foresight in implementing the mandate of the animal birth control framework from its inception, including the timely and phased augmentation of sterilisation capacity, sustained vaccination drives and the development of adequate institutional infrastructure, the present situation would not have assumed such alarming proportions.
It observed that incidents of dog bite revealed that the magnitude of the problem and the resultant threat posed to public safety assumed deeply disturbing proportions.
“It is clear that the unchecked population of dogs has become increasingly feral, and such animals have no place in areas densely populated by human beings owing to the serious threat they pose to public safety,” the court remarked.
Court’s directions
1) States and the union territories to take decisive and coordinated time-bound steps for enhancing and augmenting the infrastructure necessary for the effective implementation of the animal birth control framework, including the expansion of sterilization and vaccination capacity strengthening of existing facilities, and creation of additional institutional mechanisms commensurate with the scale and urgency of the issue.
2) States and the UTs to ensure the establishment of at least one fully functional ABC center in each district, duly equipped with requisite veterinary infrastructure, trained personnel, surgical facilities, and supporting logistics, so as to enable the systemic and large-scale implementation of sterilization and vaccination programs.
3) Concerned departments of the states and the UTs shall take appropriate decision with respect to the expansion of the number of the ABC centers wherever necessary, so as to ensure effective coverage and implementation of the ABC framework.
4) The states and UTs to undertake comprehensive capacity-building measures, including training of personnel, augmentation of veterinary services, strengthening of shelter facilities, vaccination drives in coordination with the relevant departments and agencies.
5) The states and the UTs shall ensure adequate availability of anti-rabies vaccine and immunoglobulin in all government medicinal medical facilities and put in place effective public health response mechanisms to deal with cases of dog bites.
6) The NHAI, in coordination with the concerned states and the UTs, to formulate and implement a comprehensive and time-bound mechanism for addressing the presence of stray cattle and other animals on the national highways and national expressways, including the deployment of specialized transport vehicles for safe handling and relocation of the stray cattle and other animals, and the creation or earmarking of appropriate holding and shelter facilities and entering into appropriate arrangements with animal welfare organizations, gaushalas and other competent agencies for their safe handling and relocation.
7) The NHAI to establish an effective monitoring and coordination framework to ensure continuous oversight and prompt response in such matters.
8) In areas where the population of stray dogs has assumed alarming proportions and where incidents of dog bites or aggressive attacks have become frequent and pose a continued threat to public safety the concerned authorities may subject to due assessment by qualified veterinary experts and strictly in accordance with the provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960, the Animal Birth Control Rules 2003 and other applicable statutory protocols take such measures as may be legally permissible, including euthanasia in cases involving rabid, incurably ill, or demonstrably dangerous/aggressive dogs to, to effectively curb the threat posed to human life and safety.
9) Officers and officials of the municipal authorities, Panchayati Raj institutions, local bodies, and the concerned departments of the states and UTs and the autonomous bodies, institutions, and the persons in charge of all other institutions, that is, schools, colleges, and hospitals, who are entrusted with the implementation of the directions issued by this court, to be entitled to due protection for acts performed by them in good faith and in bona fide discharge of their official duties and compliances carried out pursuant to the present order and the earlier orders.
10) No FIR, criminal court, or coercive proceeding shall be ordinarily initiated against such officers or officials in respect of actions bona fide undertaken for the purpose of implementing the directions issued by this court, save and except where a prima facie case of mala fides, gross abuse of authority, or action wholly divorced the directions issued by the court is made out.
Suo motu case
On August 11, a two-judge bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan had ordered authorities in Delhi-NCR to relocate all stray dogs from the streets to dedicated shelters, underlining that the canines should not be returned to the streets. The order led to an uproar among animal lovers who rushed to the SC. The matter was later referred to a three-judge bench.
Modifying the earlier order, the three-judge bench had said in its interim order, “A blanket direction to pick up all the strays and place them in dog shelters/ pounds without evaluating the existing infrastructure may lead to a Catch-22 situation because such directions may be impossible to comply with”. It said “the directions” of the two-judge bench “to the extent that they prohibit the release of the picked up strays, shall be kept in abeyance for the time being”. “The dogs that are picked up shall be sterilised, dewormed, vaccinated, and released back to the same area from which they were picked up,” it said.
Thereafter, the Supreme Court on November 7 directed all states and Union Territories to remove stray dogs from the premises of educational institutions, hospitals, sports complexes, bus stands and depots, and railway stations, “to a designated shelter, after due sterilisation and vaccination in accordance with the Animal Birth Control Rules”.
Stray Dog Case Live Updates: Suo motu case
Directions passed by the court:
11) Any continued failure or deliberate non-compliance with the directions issued by this court and in the present order and the earlier orders shall render the erring officials of the municipal department, administrative authorities and the officials of the concerned departments of the states and UTs liable to appropriate proceedings in accordance with law. The jurisdictional High Courts, while undertaking the monitoring exercise in terms of the present order, shall be fully empowered to take appropriate action, including initiation of contempt proceedings against the erring officials responsible for non-compliance, inaction or willful disregard of the directions issued by this court.
12) The Chief Secretaries and the Secretaries of the relevant departments of all states and UTs shall file their updated affidavits of compliance before the respective jurisdictional High Courts on or before the 17 August 2026. Likewise, the Union of India and the NHAI shall also file their respective affidavits of compliance before the jurisdictional high court in relation to the areas falling within their respective domain within the aforesaid period, clearly indicating the measures undertaken in compliance with the directions issued by this court.
Stray Dog Case Live Updates: Suo motu case
Directions passed by the court:
9) A pan-India monitoring exercise by this court in respect of the day-to-day compliance would not only be administratively burdensome and timely-- and time intensive, but may also not achieve the degree of responsiveness and efficacy that the situation demands. On the other hand, entrusting the High Courts with the responsibility of monitoring would ensure closer engagement with the local conditions, timely corrective intervention and more effective enforcement of the directions issued, while also enabling the formulation of the context sensitive measures suited to the peculiar needs of each state and region. In this backdrop, and with a view to securing effective , continuous and result-oriented implementation of the orders passed by this court, we direct as below.
10) For the purpose of ongoing compliance and monitoring, all High Courts are directed to register a suo motu writ petition in the name and style of In re compliance with the directions issued by Supreme Court as a continuing mandamus for monitoring compliance with the directions issued by this court with the orders dated 27 August 2025 and 17 November 2025. In addition to the directions contained in the present order, and the same shall be placed before and as far as practicable, taken up by a division bench of the concerned High Court. The registry of this court is directed to forthwith, forthwith transmit a copy of the present order, as well as the orders dated 11 August 2025, 22 August 2025 and 17 November 2025 to the Registrar Generals of all the jurisdictional High Courts for the purpose of ensuring effective compliance, implementation and monitoring of the directions issued therein.
Stray Dog Case Live Updates: Suo motu case
Directions passed by the court:
7) The NHAI shall also establish an effective monitoring and coordination framework to ensure continuous oversight and prompt response in such matters. In areas where the population of stray dogs has assumed alarming proportions and where incidents of dog bites or aggressive attacks have become frequent and pose a continued threat to public safety. The concerned authorities may subject to due assessment by qualified veterinary experts and strictly in accordance with the provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960, the Animal Birth Control Rules 2003 and other applicable statutory protocols take such measures as may be legally permissible, including euthanasia in cases involving rabid, incurably ill, or demonstrably dangerous/aggressive dogs to, to effectively curb the threat posed to human life and safety.
8) It is made emphatically clear that the officers and officials of the municipal authorities, Panchayati Raj institutions, local bodies, and the concerned departments of the states and UTs and the autonomous bodies, institutions, and the persons in charge of all other institutions, that is, schools, colleges, and hospitals, who are entrusted with the implementation of the directions issued by this court, shall be entitled to due protection for acts performed by them in good faith and in bona fide discharge of their official duties and compliances carried out pursuant to the present order and the earlier orders passed by this court in the present proceedings. Accordingly, no first information report, criminal court, or court proceeding shall be ordinarily initiated against such officers or officials in respect of actions bona fide undertaken for the purpose of implementing the directions issued by this court, save and except where a prima facie case of mala fides, gross abuse of authority, or action wholly divorced the directions issued by this court is made out.
Stray Dog Case Live Updates: Suo motu case
Directions passed by the court:
4) The states and UTs shall undertake comprehensive capacity-building measures, including training of personnel, augmentation of veterinary services- Are- strengthening of shelter facilities, vaccination drives in coordination with the relevant departments and agencies.
5) The states and the UTs shall ensure adequate availability of anti-rabies vaccine and immunoglobulin in all government medicinal medical facilities and shall put in place effective public health response mechanisms to deal with cases of dog bites.
6) The NHAI shall, in coordination with the concerned states and the UTs, formulate and implement a comprehensive and time-bound mechanism for addressing the presence of stray cattle and other animals on the national highways and national expressways, including the deployment of specialized transport vehicles for safe handling and relocation of the stray cattle and other animals, and the creation or earmarking of appropriate holding and shelter facilities and entering into appropriate arrangements with animal welfare organizations, gaushalas and other competent agencies for their safe handling and relocation.
Stray Dog Case Live Updates: Suo motu case
Directions passed by the court:
1) The states and the union territories shall forthwith take decisive and coordinated time-bound steps for enhancing and augmenting the infrastructure necessary for the effective implementation of the animal birth control framework, including the expansion of sterilization and vaccination capacity strengthening of existing facilities, and creation of additional institutional mechanisms commensurate with the scale and urgency of the issue.
2) The states and the union territories shall ensure the establishment of at least one fully functional ABC center in each district, duly equipped with requisite veterinary infrastructure, trained personnel, surgical facilities, and supporting logistics, so as to enable the systemic and large-scale implementation of sterilization and vaccination programs. Such centers shall be made operational in a time-bound manner and shall function with adequate capacity to address the local population of stray dogs with proper record-keeping, monitoring, and periodic reporting to ensure effective and sustained implementation of the ABC framework. It is further directed that having regard to the population density and territorial extent of each district, the concerned departments of the states and the UTs shall take appropriate decision with respect to the expansion of the number of the ABC centers wherever necessary, so as to ensure effective coverage and implementation of the ABC framework. The concerned departments and authorities of the states and UTs shall take all necessary measures to implement the directions issued by this court and shall ensure that the same are carried out in letter as well as in spirit without any delay or dilution, and shall also strictly comply with the SOPs issued by the AWBI in this regard.
3) The departments/authorities of the states and UTs, as well as the Union of India, in respect of public areas, spaces falling within its jurisdiction, shall take an informed and reasoned decision regarding extension of the directions issued by this court to other public spaces characterized by high footfall and public utility, including, but not limited to, places of public congregation and transit, having due regard to the necessity of ensuring a safe and secure environment for the public at large.
Stray Dog Case Live Updates: Suo motu case
Bench: Consolidated compliance report by the High Courts shall be placed before this court on November 17. Matter shall remain closed except for receiving compliance reports.
Stray Dog Case Live Updates: Suo motu case
Bench: All chief secretaries of the relevant departments of all states and UTs shall file their updated affidavits before their jurisdictional HCs
Stray Dog Case Live Updates: Suo motu case
Bench: All HCs are directed to register a suo motu petition in the name of in-re compliance wth the directions issued by the supreme court
Stray Dog Case Live Updates: Suo motu case
Bench: Officers of municipal and local bodies and concerned departments of states and UTs who are entrusted with the implementation of the directions issued by this court shall be entitled to protection for acts performed by them in good faith
Stray Dog Case Live Updates: Suo motu case
Bench: Continued non compliance or apathy will open the concerned officials and authorities to appropriate proceedings including contempt of court and disciplinary proceedings
Stray Dog Case Live Updates: Suo motu case
Bench: Right to live with dignity under Article 21 of the Constitution of India necessarily encompasses the right of every citizen to move freely and access public spaces without living under a constant apprehension of physical harm, attack, or exposure to life-threatening events such as dog bites in public areas.
Stray Dog Case Live Updates: Suo motu case
Bench: Staggering problem, needs effective implementation
Stray Dog Case Live Updates: Suo motu case
Bench: Menace of dog attacks in critical areas, airports one of them
Stray Dog Case Live Updates: Suo motu case
Bench: This court cannot lose sight that ABC framework was introduced in 2001. There has been discernible absence of efforts to expand and quantify infrastructure in proportion to increasing population of stray dogs.
Stray Dog Case Live Updates: Suo motu case
Bench: Stray dog case requires urgent intervention
Stray Dog Case Live Updates: Suo motu case
Bench: We have dismissed the application challenging the standard operating procedure issued by the AWBI.
Stray Dog Case Live Updates: Suo motu case
Bench presides
Stray Dog Case Live Updates: Suo motu case
A two-judge bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta will pronounce judgment on suo motu case involving the stray dogs issue.