Supreme Court rejects plea to change stray dog removal order

The Supreme Court has refused to modify its order directing the removal of stray dogs from public institutions and high-traffic areas, citing a failure by authorities to implement existing animal control rules and a rising number of serious dog attacks. The court dismissed all applications seeking changes to its November 2025 directives.

A three-judge bench, comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and N.V. Anjaria, upheld the order that stray dogs picked up from locations such as hospitals, schools, colleges, bus stations, and railway stations must not be returned to those areas after vaccination or sterilization. Instead, they must be relocated to designated shelters. The court also rejected challenges to the Standard Operating Procedures issued by the Animal Welfare Board of India.

In its ruling, the court strongly criticized state governments and municipal bodies for prolonged inaction and sporadic implementation of the Animal Birth Control framework, which was introduced in 2001. The bench stated that this failure had allowed the problem to reach staggering dimensions, aggravating public health and safety risks. It referenced specific reports, including over 1,000...