The Supreme Court will take up a suo motu case on stray dogs on October 27 to review sterilisation, vaccination, and public safety rules under the Animal Birth Control policy.
Supreme Court to Review Stray Dog Policy
The Supreme Court will hear a suo motu matter on stray dogs on Monday, October 27, before a three-judge special bench led by Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and N. V. Anjaria. The case, which was expanded by the top court on August 22 to include all states and Union Territories, seeks a final national policy on stray dog management after widespread public protests against earlier directions.
The bench is expected to examine the August directions that required municipal authorities to pick up stray dogs from neighbourhoods, sterilise, deworm and vaccinate them, and then release them back to their original areas. The court had earlier kept in abeyance an order that prohibited release of vaccinated dogs from pounds, calling that approach “too harsh” and signalling instead a policy centred on Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules compliance, community release and targeted exceptions for rabid or aggressive animals.
Four separate pleas are listed for hearing along with the suo motu case, amplifying the legal and policy questions the bench must address. Authorities will likely be asked to file affidavits detailing resources such as dog pounds, veterinarians, dog-catching personnel, modified vehicles and cages, and the status of sterilisation and vaccination drives across local bodies.
