Supreme Court Orders Removal of Stray Dogs From Schools, Hospitals, Railway Stations, Bus Stands, etc. to Shelters
In the suo motu stray dogs matter, the three-judge bench of the Supreme Court (SC), today (November 07, 2025), issued directions in the interest of public safety, health, and management of stray dogs. The bench, consisting of Justice Vikram Nath, Justice Sandeep Mehta, and Justice NV Anjaria, ordered that every institutional area, such as educational institutions, hospitals, sports complexes, bus stands/depots (including Inter-State Bus Terminals), and railway stations, must be fenced properly to prevent the entry of stray dogs. It said, “The administrative heads of the…institutions shall through their respective local/municipal authorities, under the overall supervision of the District Magistrate concerned, ensure that the premises are secured by adequate fencing, boundary walls, gates and such other structural or administrative measures as may be necessary to prevent the ingress of stray dogs. The said exercise shall be completed as soon as possible and preferably within a period of 8 weeks from today.”
The top court also directed that the jurisdictional municipal body/authority is responsible to remove every stray dog found within the premises of an educational institution, hospital (public or private), sports complex, bus stand/depot (including Inter-State Bus Terminal), or railway station and to shift such animal/s to a designated shelter, after due sterilisation and vaccination, in accordance with the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023. The SC bench added, “The stray dogs so picked up shall not be released back to the same location from which they were picked up. We have consciously directed the non-release of such stray dogs to the same location from which they were picked up, as permitting the same would frustrate the very effect of the directions issued to liberate such institutional areas from the presence of stray dogs.”
While hearing the matter, the SC bench also addressed the alarming rise in accidents caused by cattle and other stray animals on public roads and highways. The Court opined, “Such incidents, often resulting 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 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.” Considering this, the top court ordered, “The concerned authorities shall undertake a joint, coordinated drive to identify stretches of highways and expressways where stray cattle or animals are frequently found, and shall 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.”
Lately, the SC said that the Chief Secretaries of all states/UTs shall ensure strict compliance with this. Otherwise, officers will be held personally responsible. Status to be filed in 8 weeks, indicating a mechanism developed to carry out the direction. The bench also directed the Animal Welfare Board of India to file a consolidated report indicating the nationwide status of sterilisation and vaccination drives, as well as the formulation of uniform Standard Operating Procedures for the prevention of dog-bite incidents in institutional areas/premises within 8 weeks from today (November 07, 2025).
