India
oi-Prakash KL
The Supreme Court on Tuesday sent a clear message regarding public safety, refusing to back down on its earlier orders to keep stray dogs away from high-traffic public areas.
Despite several appeals from animal rights groups and dog lovers, the Court stood firm: once a stray dog is picked up from places like hospitals, schools, railway stations, or bus stands, it cannot be released back into those same spots-even after being vaccinated or sterilized.
Following proceedings on the stray dogs issue, the Supreme Court dismissed the presented pleas, affirming its decision not to amend the prior directive impacting schools and hospitals.
Instead, the Court has ruled that authorities must keep these dogs in designated shelters. This decision highlights a growing concern over the “staggering” number of dog bite cases across the country. The judges pointed to heartbreaking reports of children being mauled, elderly citizens being targeted, and even travellers at airports facing attacks. In the eyes of the Court, the safety of citizens in essential public spaces outweighs the arguments for returning the animals to their original territories.
The legal battle began last year when the Court took notice of a tragic news report about a child’s death from a dog bite. What started as a local issue in the Delhi-NCR region soon became a national conversation. While an earlier, smaller bench of judges had initially suggested a total roundup of all strays, the current three-judge bench-consisting of Justice Vikram Nath, Justice Sandeep Mehta, and Justice NV Anjaria-refined the rules to focus specifically on “critical areas.”
In addition to the relocation rules, the Court maintained its ban on feeding stray dogs in the middle of the street, insisting that feeding should only happen at designated spots to avoid creating hazards for pedestrians.
The judges didn’t just stop at setting rules; they also issued a stern warning to government officials. The Court noted that many of these attacks are happening because existing guidelines aren’t being followed properly. Any official found failing to implement these safety measures will now face disciplinary action and could be held in contempt of court. For the common man, this ruling signals a significant shift toward prioritizing public safety in the nation’s busiest hubs.
