Courts Crack Down on Stray Animal Menace, Including Dogs

Aug 12, 2025 - The Rajasthan High Court has taken a strict stance regarding stray animals, including dogs. The Court directed municipal corporations, the National Highways Authority and other departments to launch special campaigns to remove stray animals from cities and highways.

This order was issued by a Division Bench comprising Justice Kuldeep Mathur and Justice Ravi Chiraneya in a suo moto (self-initiated) petition.

The Court remarked that stray animals are causing increasing inconvenience and danger to the public. This not only disrupts daily life but also negatively impacts tourism.

During the hearing, amicus curiae Senior Advocate Dr Sachin Acharya, along with Priyanka Borana and Heli Pathak, said that various departments of the Central and State governments are responsible for ensuring road safety.

Senior Advocate Rajesh Panwar, representing the State government, and BP Bohra, representing the Central government, requested additional time to respond.

The Court asked the amicus curiae lawyers to submit their suggestions for resolving the issue within two weeks.

Court has also made appeal to the public saying those who wish to feed or care for animals are encouraged to do so at shelters and gaushalas (cow shelters) operated by municipal corporations or private organisations. It directed the National and State Highway Authorities to conduct regular patrolling to remove stray animals from roads.

The next hearing in the case will be held in September.

Meanwhile, in a similar hearing on stray dogs menace yesterday, the Supreme Court issued a strict order that all stray dogs in Delhi must be removed from residential areas and sent to shelters within eight weeks. The Court also warned that any individual or organisation obstructing this process will face action.

The Supreme Court Bench of Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice R Mahadevan took suo moto cognizance of a news report about stray dog attacks on children and issued directives concerning Delhi. The Bench said there will be no leniency in this matter and immediate compliance is required.

The government has been directed to build shelters for dogs and a report on basic infrastructure development is to be submitted within eight weeks. The Court ruling said that there should be adequate staff in the shelters for sterilisation and vaccination. These shelters should be monitored via CCTV.

The Bench also suggested that a special force be created to protect people from stray dogs.

During the hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre and Delhi Government, argued that while sterilisation helps control the stray dog population, it does not eliminate the risk of rabies.

"Children are dying, and their parents are left helpless as even doctors say there is no cure," he said.

In response, Justice Pardiwala said, "Start removing all stray dogs immediately by every possible means and relocate them to distant shelters."

The Bench also sharply criticised dog lovers during the hearing. When senior advocate Siddharth Luthra, representing People for Animals, tried to present his argument, Justice Pardiwala said the Court would not entertain any intervention applications in this case as it concerns broader public interest. He added, “Can these so-called animal lovers bring back the children who died due to rabies?”

The next hearing in this case is scheduled for six weeks later.

Dog Lovers Protest

Meanwhile, last evening, animal rights activists, rescuers, and dog lovers gathered at India Gate in New Delhi to protest the Supreme Court directive. They called the ruling “unfeasible” and “unscientific” and claimed there are not enough shelters to accommodate the dogs.

Former Union Minister and animal rights activist Maneka Gandhi said the Delhi government would need to find up to 2,000 centres to accommodate tens of thousands of community dogs.

Mini Aravindan of PETA India said, “Forced removal of some 10 lakh community dogs from the streets will cause suffering for them on a large scale.”

On the other hand, several individuals and groups, including Residents' Welfare Association (RWAs), have welcomed the Supreme Court order.

With Media Inputs