SC’s New Directions on Stray Dogs 

Context: The Supreme Court has issued new directives to manage stray dogs in Delhi-NCR after the death of a six-year-old girl from rabies highlighting the need to balance animal rights with public safety.

Relevance of the Topic: Prelims: Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960; ABC Rules.
Mains: Balancing animal rights with human safety.

SC’s New Directions on Stray Dogs

• In a suo motu case, the SC directed Municipal Authorities to pick up and house all stray dogs in Delhi and parts of the National Capital Region in dedicated shelters within eight weeks.
• The SC directed that the stray dogs, once they are picked up and brought in, should be sterilised and immunised.
• The dog shelters must be put under CCTV surveillance in order to ensure the dogs were neither released nor taken out.
• Municipal Authorities must maintain a record of strays captured and housed in pounds, and produce the records in court.
• The Bench directed the authorities to start a helpline to report incidents of dog attacks. The authorities would assist the victim in accessing treatment without delay. 

Dog Bites in India

• India has the largest population of stray dogs. In 2019, the government told Lok Sabha that stray dogs numbered 1.53 crore; it repeated this data in 2022.
• In 2024, over 37 lakh cases of dog bites were reported throughout the country. Over 50 people died from rabies in 2024. 
• As per the WHO: 
  • Dog bites are responsible for about 96% of the mortality and morbidity associated with rabies in India.
  • 36% of Rabies death in the world occur in India.
  • 30-60% of reported rabies cases and deaths in India occur in children under the age of 15 years.

Government Policy on Stray Dogs:  

Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 : 

• The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 provides the primary legal basis for regulating and protecting stray animals in India.
• The Act aims to prevent the infliction of unnecessary pain or suffering on animals. 
• Under the Act, the Centre in 2001 promulgated the Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules.

Animal Birth Control (ABC) Programme : 

• The ABC (Dogs) Rules, 2001 mandate that stray dogs must be humanely captured, sterilised, vaccinated against rabies, and then released back into the same locality from where they were caught.
• Under no circumstances are stray dogs to be killed unless they are rabid, critically injured, or fatally ill.
• Under the ABC Rules 2023, stray dogs have been recognised as community animals, acknowledging their co-existence in public spaces. This classification allows for regulated community feeding and protection against displacement.

Previous Court Judgments on Stray Dogs: 

• Supreme Court’s Stand on Culling: In earlier hearings, the Supreme Court observed that indiscriminate culling of stray dogs is not permissible under Indian law. The SC emphasised that stray dog management must be carried out in accordance with the Animal Birth Control Rules.
• Kerala High Court Observations (2015): In response to rising dog-bite incidents, the HC permitted local bodies to eliminate dangerous and rabid stray dogs. This order was challenged, leading to the matter being taken up by the Supreme Court.
• Supreme Court Intervention (Post-2015): The SC stayed orders allowing mass killing of stray dogs and directed that the ABC Rules must be strictly implemented instead. The Court stressed that balance must be maintained between human safety and animal rights.
• Bombay High Court (2018): The HC upheld the right of citizens to feed stray dogs, provided it is done at designated spots identified by local authorities. The Court underlined that feeding should not cause public nuisance or health hazards.

Also Read: Animal Birth Control Rules 2023