Opinion On stray dogs issue, SC undermines its own balanced approach

Nearly three months after recalibrating its August 11 order on the removal of stray dogs to designated shelters and allowing the animals to be returned to their original locations after being sterilised and vaccinated (unless found to be aggressive or infected with rabies), the Supreme Court last week appeared to once again harden its position on the issue. Noting that dog bites continue to be reported “with alarming frequency”, the Court ordered that stray dogs be removed “forthwith” from the premises of educational institutions, hospitals, sports complexes, bus stands and railway stations and kept in shelters after being sterilised and vaccinated. This abrupt reversal, especially on the question of releasing stray dogs back into the areas from where they were picked up, breaks from the balanced approach of the August 22 order and threatens to reignite passions on a deeply polarising issue.

Certainly, the menace posed by stray dogs, especially to children, the elderly and working class population, cannot be dismissed. According to government records, 37 lakh dog bite cases were recorded across the country in 2024. At the same time, it must be recognised that lakhs of stray dogs cannot be removed from their present homes simply by decree — and certainly not within eight weeks as directed by the Court in the latest order. The SC is right when it points out that “administrative apathy” and “systemic failure” lie at the heart of India’s stray dog problem. But housing such a large number of dogs in “designated shelters”, besides stray cattle and other animals, as ordered by the Court, also calls for funds and infrastructure at a scale that most local bodies in the country simply do not possess at present.

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A complex web of causes has led to the explosion in the stray dog population, including regular feeding and care by animal lovers, unmanaged solid waste and irresponsible pet owners who allow their dogs to interbreed with “streeties”. These must be factored in for any solution to be effective — as must the need for a considered debate that does not pit the claims of public health against a more scientific and humane approach.