SC orders safe food waste disposal to curb stray dogs in court premises

Supreme Court bans open food waste in court premises to curb stray dogs, a day after its directive to NCR civic bodies to round up and shelter strays amid rising bite cases

The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed that all leftover food in its premises be disposed of only in properly covered dustbins, in a move aimed at reducing stray dog presence within the court complex.

 

A circular from the Administrative General Branch, shared by LiveLaw, said incidents of stray dogs roaming corridors and even entering lifts had increased. It instructed that no food waste should be discarded in open areas or uncovered containers, citing hygiene and safety concerns.

 

“This measure is crucial to prevent animals from being attracted to and scavenging for food, thereby significantly reducing the risk of bites and maintaining hygiene standards,” the notice stated, urging strict compliance “for the safety of all".

 

 

SC issues stray dog control directive in Delhi NCR

The directive follows an earlier order by a Bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan, which called for the rounding up and relocation of stray dogs from Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, and Gurugram to designated shelters. The court had asked civic bodies to ensure that rounded-up dogs do not return to the streets and to set up shelters with adequate staff, vaccination facilities, and CCTV coverage.

 

The court had termed the situation “extremely grim” and warned of contempt proceedings against anyone obstructing the operation.

 

“If any individual or organisation comes in the way of such force picking up stray dogs… we shall proceed to take strict action,” the Bench said during a suo motu hearing into the rising number of dog bites and rabies cases in the NCR. 

 

Rising dog bite cases and criticism of existing rules

According to official data, dog bite cases in India rose nearly 70 per cent between 2022 and 2024, with 3.7 million incidents reported last year.

 

The court had also criticised existing sterilisation-and-release protocols, calling them “absurd and unreasonable", and ordered that dogs should not be returned to the areas from which they were removed. It instructed civic bodies to create shelters for at least 5,000 dogs in the first eight weeks, ensure staffing and immunisation facilities, and install CCTV systems to prevent unauthorised releases. The case will be reviewed again in six weeks.

 

Last month, the Bombay High Court directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation to ensure that people do not feed pigeons at the 51 designated kabutarkhanas in the city.