4.8 lakh dog bites, 42 deaths: Citing 2026 surge, Supreme Court orders removal of stray dogs from public institutions

The judgment comes against the backdrop of rapidly escalating dog bite numbers across the country in 2026, with states reporting lakhs of bite cases and dozens of rabies-linked deaths within just months.

Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and N V Anjaria of the Supreme Court held that the persistence of stray dogs in such spaces directly affected vulnerable people. (Image enhanced using AI)

Staggering problem

Referring to the data cited in the judgment, the Supreme Court observed that if viewed cumulatively, the figures “reveal the staggering dimensions of the problem” while underscoring “the pressing necessity for immediate, sustained and effective intervention”.

“The harm caused by such incidents is not merely statistical in nature, but has grave human, societal and public health consequences, the extent whereof is both enormous and, in many cases, unfathomable,” the Supreme Court verdict stated.

Rajasthan districts report alarming spike

Among the most disturbing figures cited in recent reports are those from Rajasthan. Sri Ganganagar alone recorded 1,840 dog-bite cases within just three months in 202, stated that Supreme Court.

In Sikar, several attacks involving children triggered widespread concern, while Udaipur reported nearly 1,750 cases this year up to the date of reporting.

In Bhilwara, 42 people were bitten in a single day, underlining the scale and frequency of attacks being reported from urban centres as well as smaller towns.

The Supreme Court, taking judicial notice of increasing incidents nationally, observed that attacks inside educational institutions, hospitals and transport facilities reflected “systemic administrative lapses” and a “lack of effective coordination among the concerned authorities.”

Tamil Nadu, Karnataka report lakhs of cases

The crisis appears particularly acute in southern states.

Tamil Nadu recorded nearly 2.63 lakh dog-bite cases in the first four months of 2026 alone, along with 17 deaths linked to rabies, stated the Supreme Court verdict.

The monthly progression itself reflected the continuing escalation around 62,000 cases each in January and February, 71,000 in March, and nearly 68,000 in April.

Karnataka reported more than 2 lakh dog-bite cases during the same four-month period, besides 25 rabies deaths. Bengaluru Urban district alone recorded the highest rabies fatality count in the State with six deaths.

Within Karnataka, Vijayapura district saw approximately 13,997 cases, while the Greater Bengaluru Authority recorded more than 13,400 incidents involving both stray and pet dogs.

The trend line has also steepened dramatically over the years. Karnataka reported nearly 5 lakh dog-bite cases in 2025, up from roughly 2.3 lakh cases in 2023, indicating a near doubling within two years.

The Supreme Court noted that “year-on-year increase in reported dog bite cases” demonstrated that implementation of the Animal Birth Control Rules had remained “suboptimal.”

Airports, schools, hospitals under scrutiny

The issue has moved beyond residential colonies and streets into high-security and institutional spaces.
At Delhi’s IGI Airport, at least 31 dog-related incidents were reported across terminals since January 1, 2026.

The top court’s judgment repeatedly focused on attacks inside what it termed “institutional areas”, schools, hospitals, sports complexes, bus depots and railway stations, noting that such places are expected to remain “secure and hygienic environments.”

The apex court said that instances of children being attacked in school campuses, patients being bitten inside hospital compounds, and passengers facing attacks at bus stands and railway stations had compelled judicial intervention.

It held that the persistence of stray dogs in such spaces directly affected vulnerable groups, including children, patients and the elderly.

Supreme Court backs removal from institutional areas

The main issue before the Supreme Court was whether sterilised stray dogs captured from institutional premises could legally be released back into the same areas under the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023.

Animal welfare groups argued that the statutory framework mandates release into the “same locality” after sterilisation and vaccination, warning that relocation could create a “vacuum effect” by attracting unsterilised dogs into vacated territories.

They also contended that indiscriminate relocation would require enormous infrastructure, claiming that if even 10 dogs were removed from each educational institution, the country could end up needing shelters for over 1.5 crore dogs.

The court, however, rejected the argument that all spaces, including hospitals, schools and airports, could be treated as protected “community dog” territories.

Interpreting the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and the Animal Birth Control Rules together, the Supreme Court held that sensitive institutional premises could not be equated with ordinary public streets or open-access localities.

“It must be held that the statutory scheme… does not mandate, nor can it be interpreted to require, the continued presence or compulsory reintroduction of stray dogs within institutional premises,” the apex court said.

Court cites “affirmative obligation” of state

• The judgment strongly framed the issue as one involving constitutional governance rather than merely animal management.
• “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 Supreme Court observed.
• It directed states and Union Territories to identify all educational institutions, hospitals, sports complexes, bus depots and railway stations within two weeks and ensure that such premises are secured through fencing, gates and other protective measures.
• The apex court further ordered that every stray dog found within such premises be removed, sterilised and vaccinated, and shifted to designated shelters without being reintroduced into the same institutional areas.
• Hospitals were directed to maintain mandatory stocks of anti-rabies vaccines and immunoglobulin, while schools were asked to conduct awareness sessions on preventive behaviour and first aid after dog bites.

Human safety versus animal welfare debate intensifies

• The litigation has exposed a widening divide between public safety advocates and animal welfare groups.
• Those supporting stricter measures argued before the Supreme Court that India’s stray dog population had risen from an estimated 2.5 crore in the early 2000s to nearly 8 crore now, making the existing sterilisation-and-release model ineffective.
• They also argued that the unrestricted presence of stray dogs in public spaces disproportionately affects children, the elderly and economically weaker sections who often lack immediate access to medical treatment after attacks.
• Animal welfare organisations, however, maintained that failures lay in poor implementation rather than flaws in the Animal Birth Control regime itself.
• They pointed to examples such as Dehradun, where sustained sterilisation efforts reportedly reduced dog-bite incidents by over 68 per cent.
• The Supreme Court ultimately sought to balance both concerns, stating that while humane treatment of animals remains a statutory obligation, public safety in sensitive spaces cannot be compromised.

Supreme Court rapped states on stray dogs issue: ‘Children, elderly can’t be left to mercy of chance’

On May 19, the Supreme Court dismissed all challenges on stray dog management and warned that the state cannot remain a “passive spectator” as citizens face the constant threat of dog attacks in public spaces.

The bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and N V Anjaria, while delivering the judgment, said the country’s stray dog crisis had reached alarming proportions because of years of poor implementation of the ABC framework.

The court said the framework introduced in 2001 had suffered from a “discernible absence of efforts” to build infrastructure that supports the growing stray dog population. Sterilisation and vaccination drives remained sporadic and lacked “institutional depth”.