In a significant judgment addressing the growing menace of stray dog attacks in institutional spaces, the Supreme Court has issued a comprehensive set of pan-India directions aimed at protecting public safety while attempting to maintain a humane framework for stray dog management.
The Court, while dealing with concerns over dog-bite incidents in schools, hospitals, sports complexes, bus depots and railway stations, emphasised that the right to life and safety under Article 21 cannot be compromised by administrative inaction.
A notable feature of the ruling is the Court’s insistence on accountability for those feeding or maintaining stray dogs within campuses.
The Bench observed that any framework concerning stray dog protection must be accompanied by clearly defined accountability principles, adding that rights claimed in favour of animals cannot operate independently of the corresponding duty to safeguard human life.
Accordingly, the Court directed that any animal welfare group or student-led body maintaining or feeding stray dogs within institutional premises must file an affidavit before the Head of the Institution expressly undertaking liability for injuries caused by such animals. In the absence of such an undertaking, such activity cannot be permitted. Failure to ensure compliance may invite action against the institution head.
Liability Direction For Feeders
The Court also appears to have taken note of campus-specific disputes involving stray dog feeding, including at NALSAR University of Law, where tensions between animal welfare concerns and student safety had surfaced. Against that backdrop, the Bench’s insistence on liability undertakings signals a move toward fixing responsibility on those seeking to maintain or feed stray dogs within educational institutions.
The Court held:
“It shall be mandatory for any such group or body operating within such campuses to expressly undertake such liability by filing an affidavit…”
The Court also observed that persons asserting rights in favour of stray dogs cannot avoid corresponding responsibility for injuries caused.
Removal Of Stray Dogs
Municipal bodies have been directed to immediately remove stray dogs found inside schools, colleges, hospitals, sports complexes, bus depots and railway stations
Such animals are to be shifted to designated shelters after sterilisation and vaccination.
Importantly, the Court reiterated that these dogs cannot be released back to the same institutional location.
The Court also directed that where stray dogs are found to be terminally ill, incurably injured, or suffering in circumstances recognised under the statutory animal welfare framework, authorities must take appropriate steps in accordance with law, including euthanasia where legally permissible and certified by qualified veterinary professionals. The Court emphasised that humane treatment obligations do not preclude lawful euthanasia in cases contemplated by the governing rules.
Read our Full Report on the Judgment and all directions HERE