Order of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and N.V. Anjaria, , in In Re: “City Hounded by Strays, Kids Pay Price”, Suo Motu Writ Petition (Civil) No. 5 of 2025. Summary, then two of its directions word for word from the court’s PDF.
The Supreme Court of India, in an order of , directed that stray dogs be removed from schools, colleges, hospitals, sports complexes, bus stands and railway stations across India. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and N.V. Anjaria told States and Union Territories to identify these premises within two weeks and secure them with fencing and gates, preferably within eight weeks. Municipal bodies must shift dogs found there to shelters after sterilisation and vaccination under the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023, and not release them back to the same place. The order also asked the Animal Welfare Board of India to issue Standard Operating Procedures within four weeks, and dealt with stray cattle on highways.
Directions E and J of paragraph 25
E. It shall be the responsibility of the jurisdictional municipal body/authority to forthwith 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 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.
J. Animal Welfare Board of India shall, within four weeks, issue detailed Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for prevention of dog bites and management of stray dogs in institutional premises (public or private) including but not limited to Government and private educational institutions, hospitals (including district hospitals, primary health centres, and medical colleges), and sports complexes or stadia, to be uniformly adopted across all States and Union Territories.
