Post by : Rameen Ariff

The Supreme Court of India on Monday strongly criticised several state governments for failing to comply with its August order to catch, neuter, and release stray dogs across the country. The court expressed anger over the states’ inaction, especially after multiple stray dog attacks have been reported nationwide in recent weeks.

A visibly upset Supreme Court bench remarked that India’s image is being tarnished globally because of the increasing stray dog attacks and the lack of timely response from authorities. “Your country is being portrayed in a bad light internationally! Two months granted… yet no response!” the bench stated, pulling up the state administrations for ignoring its directives.

According to the court, only West Bengal, Telangana, and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi have filed their replies — and even those were not officially recorded since they were submitted during the Diwali break. “MCD has filed a reply, but the Delhi government has not?” questioned the three-judge bench of Justice Vikram Nath, Justice Sandeep Mehta, and Justice NV Anjaria. The court has now directed all chief secretaries of states and union territories to be personally present in the next hearing and explain the delay.

The Supreme Court’s anger stems from a series of disturbing stray dog attacks across India — from a child mauled in Pune to a performer bitten mid-act in Kerala’s Kannur district. Incidents have also been reported in Lucknow, where an entire family was attacked, and in Warangal, Telangana, just days ago. These recurring attacks have sparked public outrage and renewed the debate over the management of stray dog populations.

Some states, however, have begun taking steps. Rajasthan’s Department of Autonomous Governance has instructed all local bodies to identify feeding points and coordinate with resident welfare and animal welfare groups. Dogs will be treated, sterilised, tagged, and released back into their locality — a move aligned with the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules.

In the Delhi-NCR region, authorities in Noida have started surveying and mapping stray dogs to improve sterilisation and vaccination efforts. Similarly, the Greater Chennai Corporation vaccinated over 46,000 dogs against rabies and microchipped more than 12,000 for tracking by mid-September.

The Supreme Court’s order from August 22 modified an earlier ruling that directed mass collection of stray dogs in Delhi-NCR. The revised directive clarified that only sterilised and vaccinated dogs should be released back into their areas, except for those infected with rabies or showing aggressive behaviour.

The latest hearing underscores the court’s frustration with the slow pace of compliance. As stray dog attacks continue to make headlines, the judiciary has made it clear — neglecting public safety and animal welfare is no longer an option. The coming weeks will determine how seriously the states take this issue that affects millions across India.

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