Madras High Court takes suo motu case to protect people from stray dogs in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry

A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court ruled that the uncontrolled population of dogs is becoming increasingly feral and such animals have no place in densely populated areas due to the serious threat they pose to public safety. File. | Photo credit: The Hindu

The Madras High Court has taken suo motu, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition, to ensure strict implementation of the recent orders passed by the Supreme Court to protect people from stray dogs in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.

Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan will hear the case on Monday (June 22, 2026). The principal secretaries and secretaries of animal husbandry, health and municipal administration departments in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry have been lined up as respondents in the case.

On Friday (June 19, 2026), a three-judge Supreme Court ruled that “the uncontrolled population of dogs is becoming increasingly feral and such animals have no place in densely populated areas due to the serious threat they pose to public safety.”

A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and NV Anjaria also wrote, “Compassion for animal life, important as it is, cannot be interpreted in such a way as to compel citizens to bear repeated threats to their own lives, safety and bodily integrity… When the safety and lives of human beings are weighed against the interests and welfare of constitutionally sentient beings, a balance and protection must be maintained. protection of human of life.”

The Bench further observed, “This court cannot also remain oblivious to the harsh and deeply disturbing ground realities emerging from various parts of the country where young children have been abused, elderly people have been assaulted, ordinary citizens have been left vulnerable in public spaces and even international travelers have fallen victim to such incidents. If such conditions are allowed to continue unchecked, the inevitable consequence of evolution towards Darwin’s theory could lead to regression to Darwin’s survival. effectively govern civic life and public space.’

In their order, the judges took note of a newspaper report titled “In just four months of 2026”, Tamil Nadu records 2.63 million dog bites, 17 deaths published in The Hindu on May 6, 2026 and expressed shock at the 6.25 million dog bite cases and 34 dog bite deaths in the state in 2026.

Citing these alarming statistics from other states as well, the judges attributed the reason why the problem has reached such a large scale to the inability of state and union territory governments to effectively implement the ABC framework even after two decades of its formulation in 2001.

The Supreme Court ruled that stray dogs picked up from premises such as kennels, hospitals, sports grounds, bus stops and railway stations for the purpose of sterilization do not have an inalienable or absolute right to be re-released to the same places from which they were picked up and should only be relocated to animal shelters.

The court also upheld the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) issued by the Animal Welfare Board of India on 27 November 2025, which extends the definition of ‘institutional premises’ to public spaces such as religious places, parks, tourist spots and recreational areas.

The Bench further emphasized the need to establish sufficient number of ABC centers in every district across the country, provision of sufficient number of veterinarians and other trained staff, conduct of regular sterilization and vaccination programmes, removal of stray dogs from institutional premises, establishment of dog bite reporting hotlines, mechanism for adoption of stray dogs and so on.

Since it would be difficult for the apex court to monitor the implementation of its orders at the pan-India level, he asked the high courts to entertain suo motu PIL petitions. High Courts have been given discretion to “extend or modify the scope of such directions as may be necessary to deal with local conditions and needs without in any way diluting the substance and intent of the directions” issued by the Supreme Court.

Published – 21 Jun 2026 14:25 IST