The Supreme Court on Tuesday said the right to live with dignity encompasses the right to live freely without threat from dogs as it dismissed all applications and petitions seeking recall of its earlier directions on relocation and sterilisation of strays.

A bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and NV Anjaria, which dismissed pleas challenging validity of the standard operating procedures issued by the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) to deal with stray animals, issued a slew of directions to States, Union Territories and other statutory bodies to augment infrastructure to deal with stray dogs.

Observing that there has been a “discernible absence” of sustained systemic and incremental efforts on part of States and UTs to build infrastructure to deal with the rising population of stray dogs, the bench said implementation of the Animal Birth Control (ABC) framework largely remains sporadic, underfunded and uneven across jurisdictions.

The bench said the right to live with dignity encompasses the right to live freely without threat of harm from dog bites and the court cannot remain oblivious to harsh ground realities where children, international travellers and elderly have fallen victim to dog bite incidents.

It directed States and UTs to ensure coordinated efforts to augment infrastructure to deal with stray dog menace.

On January 29, the top court reserved its verdict on a batch of petitions seeking modification of the November 7 order of the top court on relocation and sterilisation of stray dogs and expressed its unhappiness over the efforts of Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu in complying with its direction.

Taking note of the "alarming rise" in dog-bite incidents within institutional areas such as educational institutions, hospitals and railway stations, the apex court on November 7 last year had directed relocation of stray canines forthwith to designated shelters after due sterilisation and vaccination.

It had also said stray dogs picked up shall not be released back to their original place. The court had directed authorities to ensure the removal of all cattle and other stray animals from the state highways, national highways and expressways.

The top court is hearing a suo motu case, initiated on July 28 last year, over a media report on stray dog bites leading to rabies, particularly among children, in the national capital.

Published on May 19, 2026