New Delhi: All government and private institutions as well as public spaces such as bus depots and railway stations must be properly fenced to prevent the entry of stray dogs, the Supreme Court ordered Friday as it took note of “alarming rise” in dog-bite cases across the country.
The chief secretaries of all states and Union Territories were tasked with ensuring strict compliance with these directions.
In a related directive, the Supreme Court reaffirmed the Rajasthan High Court’s orders mandating the immediate removal of stray cattle and other animals from highways and expressways.
“The state governments and Union Territories shall within a period of two weeks identify government and private educational and health institutions and ensure that the premises are secured with fences, etc., to restrict the ingress of stray dogs,” a three-judge bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and N.V. Anjaria directed.
It further mandated that each institution appoint a nodal officer responsible for the upkeep of the premises, while local bodies or panchayats must inspect such sites at least once every three months.
Feeding stray dogs in offices is a violation of the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023, the bench reiterated.
The apex court had earlier expressed concern over reports of government employees feeding stray dogs within office premises, terming such acts a violation of previous orders requiring designated feeding zones for canines. The bench reiterated that the removal and relocation of stray dogs must be carried out in accordance with the ABC Rules
The directions came during the ongoing suo motu proceedings on stray dog management.
Strays captured from institutional premises should not be released back into the same locality, the SC clarified. “Permitting the same would frustrate the very purpose of liberating such institutions from the presence of stray dogs.”
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Cattle removal
As for stray cattle and other animals found on highways and expressways, the top court instructed the public works department, the municipal bodies, and the road and transport authorities to jointly undertake a coordinated drive to clear animals from all major roads.
“We have directed that the directions issued by Rajasthan HC are reaffirmed to the extent that the public works department, the municipal authorities, the road and transport authorities remove cattle from highways and expressways and immediately rehabilitate them in shelters,” the bench ordered. “All National Highways shall have helpline numbers to report presence of stray animals.”
Strict compliance
The bench cautioned that officers would be held personally responsible for any lapses and directed that compliance reports be submitted within eight weeks, detailing mechanisms adopted to enforce the orders.
Earlier, the bench had summoned chief secretaries after several states failed to file affidavits on the implementation of the ABC Rules. With these fresh directions, the apex court has sought to enforce a coordinated national policy to manage the stray animal population and safeguard public spaces from recurring dog and cattle-related hazards.
In a 31-page strongly worded order, the court has dealt with three distinct issues. First, the summary report prepared by amicus curiae Gaurav Agrawal of various compliance affidavits filed by states and UTs as per SC’s earlier directions. Second, the modification, application and implementation of directions issued by the Jodhpur Bench of Rajasthan HC. And finally, issuing directions in respect of institutional areas, including educational establishments, hospitals, sports complexes, and other public spaces such as railway stations and bus depots, “where incidents of dog-bite attacks continue to be reported with alarming frequency, raising a cause of grave concern and requiring emergent remedial measures”.
It took note of the “grave and continuing public concern that accidents caused by cattle and other stray animals on public roads and highways have become alarmingly frequent across the country,” and how these incidents often “result in loss of human life, grievous injuries, and damage to property, are not isolated events but symptomatic of a larger failure on the part of the administrative authorities entrusted with public safety”.
The court was mindful of the “preventable nature of these accidents, which not only reflect administrative indifference but also undermine the constitutional guarantee of the right to life and safety under Article 21”.
The “uncontrolled presence” of cattle and stray animals on National Highways, National Expressways, and State Highways, “constitutes a serious and avoidable threat, particularly during night-time or in high-speed zones,” read the order.
Joint drive and patrol team
SC has directed the municipal authorities: the road and transport department/Public Works Department of all the states and UTs as well as the National Highways Authority of India to “undertake a joint, coordinated drive? to “identify stretches of highways and expressways where stray cattle or animals are frequently found” and “take immediate steps for their removal and relocation to designated shelters”.
“The cattle and other stray animals so picked up shall be kept in appropriate shelters or Gaushalas/cattle pounds, as the case may be, and provided with all necessary food, water, and veterinary care, in accordance with the provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 and the Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules, 2023,” it said.
The top court has directed the constitution of “dedicated highway patrol teams and/or assign existing road-safety units for continuous surveillance and immediate response to reports of stray cattle or other animals obstructing the roadways”. Such patrols shall function on a 24×7 basis and coordinate with local police stations, veterinary officers, and municipal authorities/Panchayati Raj institutions.
Furthermore, all National Highways, State Highways, and National Expressways shall have prominently displayed helpline numbers at regular intervals, enabling commuters to promptly report the presence of stray animals or accidents caused. These helplines shall be linked to the control rooms of the local police, NHAI, and district administration for real-time redressal and monitoring, the court has ordered.
The Chief Secretaries of all states and UTs, together with the chairperson, NHAI, are to ensure implementation of these directions and are given the power to “hold the concerned officers personally accountable for lapses or recurring incidents in their respective jurisdictions”.
They are also to file status-cum-compliance reports in 8 weeks indicating the status of the aforementioned directions.
Govt’s efforts
The top court took note of the central government’s creation of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 which promulgated the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2001, subsequently amended and supplemented from time to time.
“These Rules established the Capture-Sterilize-VaccinateRelease (CSVR) model as the principal method for controlling the stray dog population, thereby prohibiting indiscriminate culling of stray dogs and mandating municipal authorities to manage sterilisation, vaccination, and sheltering in coordination with animal welfare organisations,” it said. However, it lamented over the “ineffective” implementation of these rules.
The order took note of a NDTV report published on 21 October, 2025 that even foreign nationals visiting India are falling prey to unprovoked stray dog attacks. In one such incident which took place in Bengaluru, a Welsh entrepreneur was bitten by a stray dog during a morning run. The court said that this incident underscores that “the menace is neither confined to rural or densely populated localities nor limited to vulnerable citizens, but has assumed proportions that affect public safety, tourism, and the image of the country in the global perspective”.
The bench also took note of various other news reports of children and students in various states of India being bitten by stray dogs.
It also remarked that the frequency of children being affected by this issue “reflects deficiencies in institutional responsibility and municipal oversight concerning the safety of educational environments”. The campus of National Law School of India University, Bengaluru, it noted, has a huge population of strays which “threaten the safety of the students, staff and faculty members alike”.
Furthermore, it referred to media reports of various hospitals becoming “susceptible to the menace”, and “the problem is exacerbated by improper waste disposal practices and the presence of open areas that attract animals”, among them large sports venues and open recreational grounds and even bus stands/depots (including Inter-State Bus Terminals) and railway stations.
Lastly, The court noted that the underlying causes of this “enduring menace” are multifaceted, including, uncontrolled reproduction of stray dogs owing to inadequate implementation of sterilisation programmes; improper disposal of food waste in and around public institutions; absence of effective perimeter management and institutional coordination with municipal authorities; and lack of widespread public awareness regarding preventive conduct and post dog-bite medical procedures.
This is an updated version of the report
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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