Supreme Court raps states over poor stray dog control as bite cases surge

The Supreme Court pulled up states over poor stray dog control, flagging low sterilisation, lack of shelters and rising dog bite cases, while questioning weak data and delayed action

The Supreme Court on Wednesday voiced strong concern over what it described as inadequate steps taken by several States to control the stray dog population. The court pointed to gaps in sterilisation efforts, shortage of dog pounds, and failure to remove dogs from sensitive areas such as educational institutions and hospitals, Bar and Bench reported.

 

A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and NV Anjaria said the problem had reached alarming levels in many parts of the country. The hearing will continue on Thursday at 2 pm.

 

Assam data shocks court

 

The Bench expressed shock at the figures presented by Assam. The state reported 166,000 dog bite cases in 2024, despite having just one functional dog centre.

 

 

“It is astonishing. In 2024 there were 166,000 bites. And in 2025 only in January, there were 20,900. This is shocking,” the court observed.

 

Amicus Curiae Gaurav Agrawal told the court that Assam has three municipal corporations but lacks adequate Animal Birth Control (ABC) centres. “ABC centres are inadequate. There should be a detailed action plan to increase ABC centres. Assam needs to take some more effective measures,” he said.

 

When the court asked whether Assam had any dog centres at all, Agrawal replied that only Dibrugarh had one. The Bench also flagged that the State’s affidavit was silent on manpower requirements.

 

The court also questioned the figures submitted by Jharkhand, which claimed that 189,000 dogs had been sterilised. “We can’t believe this. 189,000 dogs have been sterilised,” the Bench remarked.

 

For Gujarat, the Bench noted that there was “no information on dog pounds at all”. The state informed the top court that ₹60 crore had been sanctioned this year and ₹75 crore for the next to create animal shelters.

 

In Bihar, Agrawal pointed out that while there are 34 ABC centres, only 20,648 dogs have been sterilised so far, which is inadequate for a state with more than 600,000 stray dogs. The court remarked that most states had failed to even provide basic data on dog bite cases, the news report said.

 

“They are all building castles in the air,” the Bench said.

 

Haryana was also pulled up after its affidavit failed to mention steps taken to remove dogs from institutional areas.   

 

Beaches, tourism and stray dogs

 

The issue of stray dogs on beaches in Goa and Kerala also came up. Agrawal said dogs should not be released back onto beaches as it affects tourism, the news report said.

 

“They scavenge on leftovers. Fish carcasses and from shacks. it will ultimately affect their tourism,” the Bench noted, referring to its recent visit to Goa.

 

Karnataka, Delhi and Maharashtra responses

 

The court noted that Karnataka was the only state to provide data on stray dogs in institutions, but added that none had been removed. “They haven’t picked up a single stray from institutions,” the Bench said.

 

In Delhi, the Court said sterilising 68,000 dogs in eight months would not be enough to control the population. “It should be doubled by this year,” Agrawal suggested.

 

Maharashtra, meanwhile, was praised for setting up an online dashboard to track dog bites, sterilisation and vaccination. “It is a good beginning,” the court said.

 

The Bench warned states against filing vague affidavits. “All the states who have put these vague averments in their affidavits, will get a proper dressing down. Total eye wash,” the apex court said.