The Supreme Court has dismissed all interlocutory applications that sought to recall its previous directives or challenge the Animal Welfare Board of India's (AWBI) standard operating procedures.

Grounding the right to move freely without the fear of animal attacks firmly within the Right to Life under Article 21, the Court sharply rebuked two decades of "prolonged inaction" by State machineries, noting that fragmented, underfunded sterilization drives have escalated the crisis to "unfathomable" human costs, including severe facial mauling of children and tourists.

To secure absolute accountability, the apex court has officially decentralized the enforcement process, commanding all High Courts to register suo motu petitions under a continuing mandamus, while warning bureaucrats that subsequent lapses will trigger personal disciplinary actions, contempt charges, and tortious liability for civil damages.

The Court has dismissed all applications that sought a recall of its November 7 judgment. The Court robustly upheld the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) issued by the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), declaring that the framework remains legally binding and that challenges against it merit no acceptance.

The Court had reserved the judgment on January 29, 2026. After hearing, dog-lovers, institutions, individuals, States and Union Territories, NHAI and the Union of India, the Court concluded the hearing. While hearing various States, the Court had also remarked that it will pass strong strictures against all the States that have put vague averments in their Affidavits in the matter pertaining to the issue of stray dogs in the country.

The Bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta ordered, "In areas where the population of stray dogs has assumed alarming proportions and where incidents of dog bites or aggressive attacks have become frequent and pose a continuing threat to public safety, the concerned authorities may—subject to due assessment by qualified veterinary experts and strictly in accordance with the provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023, and other applicable statutory protocols—take such measures as may be legally permissible, including euthanasia in cases involving rabid, incurably ill, or demonstrably dangerous/aggressive dogs, so as to effectively curb the threat posed to human life and safety."


It added, "If such conditions are permitted to continue unchecked, the inevitable consequence may lead to a regression towards a state where the Darwinian theory of evolution—namely, the survival of the fittest—would effectively govern civic life and public spaces. Such a situation would be wholly incompatible with a constitutional democracy governed by the rule of law. The Constitution of India does not envisage a society where children, elderly persons, and vulnerable citizens are compelled to survive at the mercy of physical strength, chance, or circumstance owing to the failure of the State machinery to discharge its constitutional and statutory obligations. The fundamental guarantee under Article 21 of the Constitution of India exists precisely to ensure that the weak and vulnerable are afforded equal protection of life, safety, and dignity under the constitutional order."

In a scathing assessment of administrative failure, the Court pointed out that despite the ABC framework being introduced over two decades ago (in 2001), there has been a "discernible absence of efforts" by States to expand infrastructure in proportion to the rising dog population. Labeling past sterilization and vaccination drives as "sporadic" and "lacking institutional depth," the Bench noted that a complete lack of planning has defeated the very objective of the rules, allowing the crisis to reach alarming, uncontrollable proportions.

The Court ordered, "In view of the foregoing discussion, this Court finds no reason whatsoever to interfere with the SOP dated 27th November 2025 issued by the AWBI in compliance with the directions of this Court. The challenge laid to the SOPs, both on the ground of an alleged excess of jurisdiction as well as on the basis of inconsistency with the statutory scheme, does not merit acceptance in light of the conclusions recorded hereinabove. Accordingly, all interlocutory applications challenging the validity of the said SOPs stand dismissed."

The Bench emphasized that the consequences of state inaction are not merely statistical but represent an "unfathomable" human toll.

It observed, "Had the States and Union Territories acted with due diligence and foresight in implementing the mandate of the ABC framework from its inception—including the timely and phased augmentation of sterilization capacity, sustained vaccination drives, and the development of adequate institutional infrastructure—the present situation would not have assumed such alarming proportions. The framework envisaged under the ABC Rules, 2023 was intended to operate as a preventive and long-term mechanism requiring continuous and coordinated effort over time. The failure to adopt such a proactive, structured, and sustained approach has resulted in a largely reactive and crisis-driven response, necessitated by the escalation of the problem rather than its prevention."

It added, "Such an approach is neither efficient nor capable of yielding durable solutions, particularly in a matter involving public health, human safety, and ecological balance. This Court is therefore constrained to observe that prolonged inaction, coupled with an absence of institutional commitment to the effective implementation of the ABC framework, has contributed significantly to the persistence as well as the aggravation of the problem, which has now assumed dimensions warranting urgent and systemic intervention."

The Court highlighted several shocking instances from across the country to underscore the severity of the situation:

1. Sriganganagar, Rajasthan: 1,084 dog bites were reported in a single month, with young children suffering grievous injuries, including facial mauling.

2. Tamil Nadu: The state recorded an astonishing 2 lakh plus dog bite incidents in just the first four months of the year.

3. National Infrastructure Vulnerabilities: The Court expressed deep concern over repeated dog bite incidents occurring inside the country's busiest transit hubs, including Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in Delhi.

4. International Impact: Highlighting the case of a German traveler who was bitten in Surat, the Court observed that such incidents severely damage global public confidence in India's urban governance.

The judgment firmly grounded public safety within the ambit of constitutional rights, asserting that the Right to Life under Article 21 encompasses the right to live freely without the constant threat of animal attacks.

The Supreme Court made it clear that the era of vague affidavits and empty promises is officially over. The Bench warned that any non-compliance with its August 22 and November 7 directives will be met with severe judicial penalties.

The Supreme Court has issued its definitive, operative directives to systematically eradicate the stray animal crisis across India. To guarantee strict enforcement, the apex court has decentralized the monitoring process, transferring the mantle of daily oversight to the respective High Courts under a legally binding time frame.

The comprehensive directives issued by the Court are structured into four key pillars of accountability:

Mandatory Infrastructure & Public Safety Mandates

a. District-Level ABC Expansion: Every State must ensure the establishment of at least one fully functional Animal Birth Control (ABC) centre in every single district. Authorities must actively expand these facilities proportionally based on the population density of each district.

b. Securing Public Spaces: States must take informed, reasoned, and time-bound decisions to extend the Court's previous safety guidelines to all other public places to ensure a safe environment for the public at large.

c. Euthanasia Permitted for Critical Threats: To curb immediate threats to human life, concerned authorities are explicitly authorized to take all legally permissible measures—including euthanasia—in cases of confirmed rabid or demonstrably dangerous dogs.

d. Medical Readiness: All State healthcare systems must guarantee the continuous and adequate availability of anti-rabies vaccines and medicines across all public health centers.

Legal Immunity & Protection for Ground Officials

a. Recognizing that local workers and municipal officials are often harassed or legally intimidated while carrying out removal or containment drives, the Court has established a robust legal shield:

b. Protection from Coercive Action: Officials of municipal authorities and State departments entrusted with implementing this judgment are entitled to due protection for acts performed in good faith. No FIR or coercive steps shall ordinarily be initiated against them.

c. High Court Intervention: High Courts are given full liberty to pass appropriate orders to summarily quash or prevent vexatious civil or criminal proceedings targeted at these public officials.

It said, "It is made emphatically clear—and this is a very important direction we are issuing—that the officers and officials of the municipal authorities, Panchayati Raj institutions, local bodies, concerned departments of the States and Union Territories, autonomous bodies/institutions, and persons in charge of all other institutions (i.e., schools, colleges, and hospitals) entrusted with the implementation of the directions issued by this Court shall be entitled to due protection for acts performed by them in good faith and in the bona fide discharge of their official duties and compliances carried out pursuant to the present order and earlier orders passed by this Court in these proceedings. Accordingly, no First Information Report (FIR), criminal complaint, or coercive proceedings shall ordinarily be initiated against such officers or officials in respect of actions bona fide undertaken for the purpose of implementing the directions issued by this Court, save and except where a prima facie case of mala fides, gross abuse of authority, or action wholly divorced from the directions issued by this Court is made out. If necessary, the High Court seized of the continuing mandamus in terms of the present order shall be at liberty to pass appropriate orders to prevent frivolous, vexatious, or malicious proceedings against such officers or officials."

NHAI Logistics & Highway Controls

a. Deploying Transport Fleets: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) must deploy dedicated transport vehicles specifically equipped to safely handle, secure, and remove stray cattle from national highways in a time-bound manner.

b. Monitoring & Coordination: NHAI must establish a permanent monitoring and coordination framework with local village and state bodies to ensure that cattle ingress is checked at the root.

Enforcement Timeline & Decentralized High Court Oversight

The Supreme Court has officially transferred ground-level tracking to the High Courts via an ongoing judicial mechanism, closing the main case file except for reviewing final compliance reports.

a. Suo Motu Mandamus: All High Courts across India are directed to register a suo motu case under a continuing mandamus to continuously monitor the compliance of these directions within their respective states, ensuring deep engagement with local conditions.

It ordered, "For the purpose of ongoing compliance and monitoring, all High Courts are directed to register a suo motu writ petition in the name and style of “In Re: Compliance with the directions issued by the Supreme Court in...” as a continuing mandamus for monitoring compliance with the directions issued by this Court vide the orders dated 22nd August 2025 and 7th November 2025, in addition to the directions contained in the present order. The same shall be placed before and, as far as practicable, taken up by a Division Bench of the concerned High Court."

b. August 7 Deadline: The Chief Secretaries of all States, alongside Union territory representatives, must file their initial comprehensive compliance reports directly before their jurisdictional High Court on or before August 7.

c. November 17 Final Ledger: After auditing state progress, all High Courts must submit a consolidated compliance report back to the Supreme Court by November 17, at which point the matter will remain closed.

d. Personal Liability: Any continued failure or deliberate disregard of these directives will result in immediate contempt of court proceedings and severe disciplinary action against the offending bureaucrats.

The Bench heard a suo motu case, initiated on July 28, over a media report on stray dog bites leading to rabies, particularly among children, in the national capital. On August 11, the Court had directed the State of NCT of Delhi, Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and the New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) to pick up all stray dogs from the localities and public places in Delhi and put them in shelter homes. Such detained dogs are not be released under any circumstances.

On January 20, 2026, the Court expressed displeasure over former Union minister Maneka Gandhi's remarks criticising the court orders in the stray dog matter, saying that she had committed contempt of court. The Court had also said that it will consider the imposition of heavy compensation for States for not making the requisite arrangements and the dog feeders for every dogbite and death.

On January 9, 2026, the Supreme Court said it would not go into the allegations of harassment of women dog feeders and caregivers by purported anti-feeder vigilantes since it was a law-and-order issue, and the aggrieved persons could lodge FIRs about it.

The Court, on January 7, 2026, had remarked against the local authorities for their failure to monitor and implement statutory rules effectively, leading to an uncontrollable surge in stray animal incidents.

The Court, on August 22, had partially modified its previous order directing the capture and shifting of dogs from the streets in Delhi NCR. The Three Judges Bench directed that the stray dogs that will be picked up shall be sterilized, vaccinated and released back to the same area from which they were picked up. However, stray-dogs inflicted with rabies or with aggressive behaviour were not to be released into the streets. The court has also proposed to expand the scope of this matter beyond the confines of New Delhi and the NCR region.

While responding to a Petitioner in the stray dogs case who objected to some Rules framed by the Delhi Municipal Corporation (DMC), saying 'inhuman' treatment was being meted out to them, the Supreme Court had said that a video will be played in the next hearing, "asking you what is humanity".

On November 7, taking note of the "alarming rise" in dog bite incidents within institutional areas like educational institutions, hospitals and railway stations, the Apex Court had directed the forthwith relocation of stray canines to designated shelters after due sterilisation and vaccination.

Previously, while hearing the Suo-Moto Writ Petition on the issue of dog-bites reported in Delhi and the areas on the outskirts, urged genuine stray dog lovers to take care and upkeep of the stray dogs responsibly at the dog shelters or pounds. The Court urged thus while directing the State of NCT of Delhi, Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and the New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) to pick up all stray dogs from the localities and public places in Delhi and put them in shelter homes.

Cause Title: In Re: City Hounded By Strays, Kids Pay Price vs. The State Of Andhra Pradesh [SMW(C) No. 5/2025 Diary No. 41706/2025]

Click here to read/download the Judgment

(This is a hearing story; the judgment was uploaded later.)

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