‘Move stray dogs from schools, hospitals to shelters’: SC cracks down on canine menace

In a bid to address the "alarming rise" in dog bite cases in areas such as educational centres and hospitals, the Supreme Court directed that such canines should be moved to designated shelters.

 

A special three-judge bench, comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and N. V. Anjaria, ordered that all stray dogs removed from such sensitive locations should not be released back into the same places. It also directed the authorities to prevent the entry of stray dogs into government and private educational centres, hospitals and similar premises, to safeguard students, patients, and staff.

 

The apex court, while emphasising the immediate need for stringent measures, also directed the authorities, including the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), to identify stretches of highways and expressways frequented by stray animals, including cattle, and ensure their removal and relocation to designated shelters, to reduce the accidents caused by stray animals on major thoroughfares.

 

The court had, on November 3, said it will pass interim directions to tackle the "grave menace" of dog bites in institutional areas, where employees feed and encourage stray dogs.

 

The SC is hearing a suo motu case, initiated on July 28, following a media report highlighting the stray dog bites leading to rabies, particularly among children in the national capital. The scope of the case has since been expanded to include all states and Union Territories.

 

The matter is scheduled for further hearing on January 13, where additional guidelines and progress on implementation are expected to be reviewed.

 

In July, the SC had ordered that all stray dogs must be moved from residential areas to dedicated animal shelters, in light of the rise in dog bite incidents and rabies-related deaths. The court had directed that these shelters must have trained professionals, who will manage the dogs, perform sterilisations, and administer immunisations.

 

A key directive was that dogs, once in a shelter, should not be released. However, in a separate directive, the court instructed that sterilised and immunised dogs should be released back into their original localities.

 

The three-judge bench, however, clarified that dogs which are infected with rabies, suspected of having rabies, or displaying aggressive behaviour, will not be relocated or returned to their areas.

 

The court has ordered the removal and relocation to be completed within eight weeks.

India