Lot of videos of dogs attacking elderly, kids: SC to animal rights group

The Supreme Court said that it does not want the proceedings to become a contest between animal cruelty claims and stray dog attacks

The Supreme Court on Friday continued hearing a case on stray dog attacks for the third consecutive day, saying there are many videos online showing dogs attacking children and the elderly, Bar and Bench reported.

 

The remarks were made by a Bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and N V Anjaria while hearing Senior Advocate Rajshekhar Rao for a dog rights organisation. The Court also said it did not want the hearing to become a contest between instances of animal cruelty and videos of dog attacks.

 

"There are 'n' number of videos on YouTube where dogs are attacking children and old people. We don’t want a competition here," the Bench said.

 

 

What's the case?

The case stems from a surge in stray dog bite incidents reported across the country. The issue came into national focus last year after a Bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan directed Delhi’s municipal authorities to round up stray dogs and house them in shelters.

 

That order sparked protests from animal rights groups. The current Bench later altered the direction, ruling that dogs that had been sterilised and vaccinated should be released rather than confined permanently in shelters.

 

In a separate order in November 2025, the Supreme Court instructed state governments and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to ensure the removal of stray animals from highways nationwide.

 

The court had further directed that all government and private schools, colleges and healthcare facilities be fenced within eight weeks to address the problem of stray dogs and reduce the risk of dog bites. It also clarified that dogs removed from such premises should not be returned to the same locations, warning that doing so would undermine efforts to regulate the issue in institutional areas.

 

CSVR model achieves safety

The Court on Friday heard the submission of pro-dog parties and animal rights activists, who gave some suggestions to tackle the problem.

 

Rao, appearing for Karan Puri Foundation, a registered society taking care of street dogs at their own expense in various parts of Delhi, said the matter should be dealt with empathy.

 

"Your lordships have passed an interim order. Your lordships never intended it to have trappings of finality. The principle of institutional and constitutional empathy has to be considered. Your lordships have said that empathy must guide conduct." Rao said.

 

"Animals are, per se, good. The Capture, Sterilise, Vaccinate, and Release (CSVR) model achieves safety," Rao said, as quoted by NDTV. He added that his client had submitted videos on record to demonstrate that the court’s directions were being carried out.

 

"Dogs have become a part of the establishment and have found a way to coexist. Institutions may be allowed to take care of their problems. Your lordships have vast powers but they are circumscribed by some limitations," he said.

 

Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing an animal rights organisation, argued that the court’s room for intervention in the matter was limited because the existing law and rules already provide an almost complete framework.

 

He further submitted that the court should take into consideration the opinions of domain experts.

 

"The obligation of the Court to enforce rights is in the 'absence of legislation'. Your Lordships will be building a new edifice if they enter into that territory. While our amicus is great, the concept of amici is basically law advisors. They are not domain experts. Your lordships must have domain experts along with the amicus," Singhvi said.

 

Other parties also made suggestions, such as stricter implementation of animal birth control (ABC) rules, zoning of public places that need to be free from stray dogs, using colour-coded collars to identify aggressive dogs, etc.

 

The next hearing is scheduled to take place on January 13.