Activist groups urge SC to adopt humane approach to stray dog population

Animal rights activists and groups on Friday (January 9, 2026) urged the Supreme Court to modify its November order, suggesting various humane ways to deal with the burgeoning stray dog population, especially in urban clusters.

Appearing before a Bench headed by Justice Vikram Nath, senior advocate Mahalakshmi Pavani, representing an activist, highlighted attacks on women dog feeders by vigilantes. She submitted that they were being humiliated in public and that some housing societies even employed bouncers to stop them from feeding strays. The senior counsel said these actions appeared to have the tacit approval of local authorities.

The Bench said aggrieved persons must take the normal course of law in such situations and file a complaint at the concerned police station.

Senior advocate Shadan Farasat, also appearing for activists, took a balanced view, saying the growing population of stray dogs was a real and present problem. However, he said the issue should not be converted into a human versus animal conflict and urged the court to note that it was an administrative failure on the part of the authorities.

Mr. Farasat said municipal authorities had failed on both fronts, animal welfare and public safety. He recommended zoning of public spaces, identification of feeding zones, time bound implementation of the Animal Birth Control Rules, accountability of municipal officers and collaboration between State and local authorities as solutions to the problem.

Senior advocate Madhavi Divan proposed an online monitoring dashboard to track dog sterilisation programmes to ensure transparency. Senior advocate A.M. Singhvi submitted that the matter was no longer only about dogs or humans, but about constitutional principles.

The Bench clarified that it had not directed the removal of every dog from the streets and that its directive was to treat stray canines in accordance with the Animal Birth Control Rules.

On November 7, 2025, the court had directed the relocation of stray canines to designated shelters after due sterilisation and vaccination, taking note of the “alarming rise” in dog bite incidents within institutional areas such as educational institutions, hospitals and railway stations.