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In a fresh incident of alleged stray dogs killing in Telangana, about 300 canines were allegedly killed in Jagtial district, taking the toll to 900, animal rights claimed. The killings are suspected to have been carried out by some elected representatives, including Sarpanchs, allegedly to fulfill promises made to villagers ahead of gram panchayat elections held in December last year, to address the stray dog menace. The latest incident came to light after a complaint was lodged, alleging that 300 stray dogs were killed in Pegadapally village by administering poisonous injections on January 22. Blaming the village Sarpanch and Gram Panchayat secretary for the gruesome act, the complaint alleged that the former hired few individuals to kill the strays. Based on the complaint, police registered an FIR against the duo under relevant sections of BNS and Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, police said on Saturday. Inspector Ch. Kiran said, during the inquest, around 70 to 80 dog ...
In yet another incident of stray dog killings, nearly 100 canines were allegedly "poisoned to death" in Yacharam village near here following which a case was registered against a sarpanch and two others for their alleged involvement in the act, police said on Wednesday. The fresh incident follows killing of nearly 500 stray dogs in different districts of Telangana since January 6. An animal welfare activist, associated with Stray Animal Foundation of India, in a complaint filed with Yacharam Police Station alleged that the dogs were injected with some poisonous substances on January 19. A case was registered under relevant sections of BNS and Prevention of Cruelty of Animals Act against the sarpanch, secretary and ward member of Yacharam gram panchayat on Tuesday, a police official said. As per the complainant, 100 dogs were killed, but based on preliminary investigation and after verifying with villagers around 50 dogs were found to be killed, though further probe is on in this ..
The Supreme Court has adopted a "balanced approach" in its directions on the stray dogs issue which neither disregards the rights of animals nor minimises the legitimate concerns of citizens, a top Law Commission official has said. Effective coordination across municipal bodies, health departments and state authorities will determine whether these judicial directions translate into safer cities and humane, long-term solutions, without slipping into cruelty or chaos, the official underlined. Speaking to PTI, Member Secretary to the 23rd Law Commission Anju Rathi Rana said the Supreme Court's orders in this case reflect a "renewed judicial emphasis" on how India manages stray animals, an issue spanning public health, municipal administration and animal welfare. Rana, a former Union law secretary, noted that after taking suo motu cognisance of escalating dog bite incidents and related risks reported in the media, the top court modified earlier instructions and directed compliance with
In a fresh incident of stray dog killings, around 200 canines were allegedly killed in Telangana's Kamareddy district, taking the toll to about 500 in the last one week, police said on Tuesday. Sources from villages said (some) elected representatives, including sarpanches, allegedly carried out the killings to "fulfill promises made to villagers" during the recent gram panchayat elections to tackle the stray dog menace. Police said a case has been registered against six persons, including five village sarpanches, for their alleged involvement in the incident. Earlier, police in Hanamkonda district had booked nine persons, including two women sarpanches and their husbands, in connection with the alleged killing of around 300 stray dogs in Shayampet and Arepally villages. "Ahead of the gram panchayat elections held in December last year, some candidates promised villagers they would tackle the stray dog and monkey menace. They are now allegedly fulfilling' those promises by killing
The Supreme Court on Tuesday took note of the number of interlocutory applications being filed before it in the stray dogs case and said that so many applications normally don't come even in cases of humans. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta made the observations when two lawyers mentioned the stray dogs matter before it. One of the lawyers said they have filed an interlocutory application in the case. So many applications normally don't even come in cases of humans, Justice Mehta observed. The bench said the stray dogs matter is slated to come up for hearing before the apex court on Wednesday. When another lawyer mentioned a transfer petition in the matter, the top court said many pleas would be taken up for hearing on Wednesday, and the bench will hear all the lawyers. A three-judge special bench comprising Justices Nath, Mehta and N V Anjaria is slated to hear the matter on Wednesday. Taking note of the alarming rise in dog bite incidents within institutional
Animal rights activists and volunteers from various animal protection groups gathered for a peaceful demonstration at the Jantar Mantar on Saturday, demanding the Supreme Court reconsider its recent order to remove street dogs from public spaces. The protest, held ahead of a hearing on the matter in the top court next week, saw around 30 participants holding placards with creative visuals to highlight their concerns, with one wearing a dog costume to draw public attention, the organisers said. One of the participants termed the Supreme Court order to relocate street dogs from schools, hospitals and transport hubs both impractical and inhumane, which will result in millions of dogs getting confined to shelters for life. On November 7, 2025, the Supreme Court ordered to remove all stray dogs from railway stations, schools, hospitals, bus stops and other public areas, and relocate them to a designated shelter after due sterilisation and vaccination in accordance with the Animal Birth .
The Delhi government has directed educational institutions, including schools, to nominate nodal officers for matters related to stray dogs and submit their details to the Directorate of Education. Teachers' associations, however, have opposed the move, questioning why departments responsible for animal welfare are not handling the issue. In a circular, the Directorate of Education's (DoE's) Caretaking Branch said district education officers (DDEs) must compile details of nodal officers, including name, designation, contact number and email ID for all schools, stadiums and sports complexes under their jurisdiction and send the consolidated information to the directorate. The DoE stated that replies being received from individual schools were not required, and clarified that only district-level compiled reports would be accepted. The information will be forwarded to the office of the Delhi chief secretary. Nodal officers will act as the point of contact for stray dog-related issues,
Responding to a petitioner in the stray dogs case who objected to some rules framed by the Delhi municipal corporation saying "inhuman" treatment was being meted out to them, the Supreme Court on Thursday said a video will be played in the next hearing, "asking you what is humanity". Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who is appearing in the stray dogs case, told a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta that a three-judge special bench which was scheduled to assemble on Thursday to hear the matter was cancelled. "It will come on January 7," Justice Nath said. Sibal said, "The problem is that the MCD (Municipal Corporation of Delhi), in the meantime, has framed some rules which are completely contrary". When the bench said it would consider the matter on January 7, Sibal said the authorities will implement the rules in December itself. "They will be implementing it and they will be removing the dogs. They don't have shelters," he said. Justice Nath said, "It is alright Mr Sibal.
More than 1.28 lakh people in Mumbai were bitten by stray dogs in 2024, raising concerns about the safety of citizens and prompting authorities to undertake measures like sterilisation and vaccination of free-roaming canines to control their population. This information was shared by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in the state legislative council on Friday in a written reply to queries by MLCs Sunil Shinde, Vasant Khandelwal, Sandip Joshi and others. These legislators raised concerns about the increasing number of stray dogs in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) limits and a similar menace in Nagpur. Shinde stated that more than 9,400 people were bitten in Nagpur, the second capital of Maharashtra, in 2024. He said that a survey conducted by the BMC via Human Society International, as per the Animal Welfare Board rules, revealed that the number of stray dogs had come down from 95,172 in 2014 to 90,757 in 2024. In Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) limits, 9,427 peop
Maharashtra recorded more than 30 lakh cases of dog bites in the last six years, while 30 persons died of rabies between 2021 and 2023, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde informed the state assembly on Wednesday. Local bodies have been directed to intensify animal birth control and anti-rabies vaccination programmes, he said in a written reply. Shinde was responding to a question by Shiv Sena (UBT) legislator Sunil Prabhu, amid concerns over the rising number of stray dogs, especially in major cities like Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur and Kalyan-Dombivli. The deputy CM said there has been a significant increase in dog bite incidents in both rural and urban areas. "Maharashtra has recorded more than 30 lakh cases of dog bites in the last six years, while 30 persons died of rabies between 2021 and 2023," he said. Replying to another query, Shinde said local bodies have been directed to intensify animal birth control and anti-rabies vaccination programmes in accordance with the Supreme Court