SC orders relocation of stray dogs from schools, hospitals, railway stations to shelters

New Delhi, Nov 8: Taking note of the “alarming rise” in dog bite incidents within institutional areas like educational institutions, hospitals and railway stations, the Supreme Court today directed the forthwith relocation of stray canines to designated shelters after due sterilisation and vaccination.

A three-judge special bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and NV Anjaria also said the stray dogs so picked up shall not be released back in the place they were picked up from.

The bench also directed the authorities to ensure the removal of all cattle and other stray animals from State highways, national highways and expressways. It said the recurrence of dog bite incidents within institutional areas, including sports complexes, reflected not only administrative apathy but also a “systemic failure” to secure these premises from preventable hazards.

“The situation calls for immediate judicial intervention to safeguard the fundamental right to life and safety of citizens, especially children, patients and sportspersons, under Article 21 of the Constitution of India,” the bench said.

It passed a slew of directions in the suo moto case over the stray dog menace. It said the primary objective is to safeguard the fundamental right to life and safety of citizens, particularly children, students, patients and sportspersons, while ensuring compliance with the principles embodied in the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023, framed under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.

It said after independence, despite significant advances in public health, India continues to report one of the world’s highest statistics of rabies-related mortality.

“Scientific assessments, including those conducted by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), have estimated that a large ratio of animal-related deaths annually in India were attributable to rabies, with over 90 per cent of human cases resulting from bites inflicted by domestic or stray dogs,” the bench said.

It said the brunt of this menace has been borne by children, the elderly and economically weaker sections, who in addition to being vulnerable, lack “timely access to postexposure prophylaxis”.

The bench further said that it is a matter of grave and continuing public concern that accidents caused by cattle and other stray animals on public roads have become alarmingly frequent.

Reaffirming directions issued by the Rajasthan HighCourt in an August 11 order, the bench directed the municipal authorities, road and transport department/Public Works Departments of all States and Union Territories, and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to ensure the removal of cattle and other stray animals from the highways.

The bench asked the authorities to undertake a joint, coordinated drive to identify stretches of highways and expressways where stray cattle or animals are frequently found, and take immediate steps for their removal and relocation to designated shelters.

PTI