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Bench slams officials for ignoring court orders; says, “What about cruelty towards humans?”

New Delhi: Taking serious note of widespread non-compliance in the stray dog menace case, the Supreme Court on Monday directed the chief secretaries of all states and Union Territories — except West Bengal and Telangana — to personally appear before it on November 3 and explain why they failed to file compliance affidavits on measures taken to control the issue.

A three-judge Bench led by Justice Vikram Nath, and comprising Justice Sandeep Mehta and Justice N.V. Anjaria, expressed strong displeasure that only the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and the states of West Bengal and Telangana had filed their affidavits, despite the court’s detailed directions issued on August 22. “Didn’t the officers read newspapers or social media? Even if not served, they should have been here. All Chief Secretaries must be present on November 3 — we will hold court in an auditorium if required,” the Bench said sharply.

‘Continuous incidents are happening; India’s image is suffering’

The Bench observed that despite the court’s earlier order being widely reported, most states had shown “complete indifference.” “Continuous incidents are happening and the image of the country is being shown down in the eyes of foreign nations. We are also reading these reports,” the judges said while hearing the suo motu PIL titled ‘City Hounded by Strays, Kids Pay Price’. When an advocate referred to cruelty against dogs, the Bench retorted, “What about cruelty towards humans?” — referring to increasing attacks and fatal cases involving stray dogs.

The court pulls up multiple intervention pleas.

Taking exception to a flood of intervention applications from various Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) and individuals, the Bench remarked: “If all RWAs want to be parties, how many crores of parties will we have before us? Make reasonable suggestions.”

Background: suo motu case after a six-year-old’s death

The court’s ongoing suo motu proceedings began after reports emerged of the death of a six-year-old girl in Delhi due to rabies following a stray dog bite. On August 11, a Bench led by Justice J.B. Pardiwala and Justice R. Mahadevan had issued stringent directions to permanently relocate all stray dogs to shelters “at the earliest,” describing the situation as “extremely grim.”
The Bench had also directed authorities in Delhi, Gurugram, NOIDA, NDMC, and other NCR regions to immediately clear public spaces of strays.

However, the matter was reassigned to the present Bench on August 13, after lawyers pointed out conflicts between those directions and existing laws. Subsequently, on August 22, the Bench led by Justice Vikram Nath modified the earlier order, clarifying that:

• Stray dogs may be sterilised, dewormed, vaccinated, and then released back into the same area.

• Aggressive or rabid dogs must remain confined in shelters.

• Public feeding of dogs is prohibited, and designated feeding zones must be created instead. “Prohibition on release of strays shall be stayed. They shall be dewormed, vaccinated, etc. and sent back to the same area,” the Bench had clarified.

All stray dog cases in High Courts transferred to SC

Expanding the scope of the case, the Supreme Court has transferred all stray dog–related matters pending before various High Courts to itself. Notices have been issued to all states through their Animal Husbandry Secretaries.

The Bench indicated that it will now formulate a national policy to ensure uniform implementation of the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules and effective management of stray dog populations. “All similar matters shall be transferred to this court for a final national policy,” the Bench said.

Rising dog bite cases add urgency to the court’s concern

According to data from the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, India had 1.53 crore stray dogs as of 2019.
In 2024 alone, 37.15 lakh dog bite cases were reported nationwide, with Maharashtra (4.85 lakh), Tamil Nadu (4.80 lakh), Gujarat (3.92 lakh), Karnataka (3.61 lakh), and Bihar (2.63 lakh) accounting for the highest numbers.

As many as 54 deaths due to rabies were recorded across the country in 2024, led by Maharashtra (14), Uttar Pradesh (6), Karnataka (5), Meghalaya (4), and Kerala (3) and in Delhi, reported dog bite cases surged from 17,874 in 2023 to 25,210 in 2024. In January 2025 alone, 3,196 new cases were recorded, underscoring the alarming trend.

Next hearing: November 3

The top court has made it clear that all Chief Secretaries must be present in person on November 3, warning that further inaction will not be tolerated. “The August 22 order contained everything — yet states have failed to act. We will ensure accountability this time,” the Bench said.