Supreme Court orders relocation of stray dogs from near schools, hospitals to shelters

The Supreme Court on Friday took note of the "alarming rise" in dog bite cases in institutional areas like educational centres and hospitals, and directed that such canines should be moved to designated shelters.

A three-judge special bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and N V Anjaria passed a slew of directions in the stray dogs case, including asking the authorities to ensure removal of cattle and other stray animals from highways and expressways, and their relocation to designated shelters.

The bench directed the authorities to prevent the ingress of stray dogs into the premises of government and private educational institutions and hospitals, etc., to prevent dog bite incidents. It directed that stray dogs picked up from such institutions shall not be released back in the same place.

The bench asked the authorities, including the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), to undertake a joint drive to identify stretches of highways where stray animals are frequently found. It fixed the matter for further hearing on January 13.

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

The apex court is hearing a suo motu case, which was initiated on July 28 over a media report on stray dog bites leading to rabies, particularly among children, in the national capital. It had expanded the scope of the stray dogs case beyond the confines of Delhi-National Capital Region, and directed that all states and Union territories be made parties in the matter.