Stray cattle, dogs to be removed from roads, public places as Supreme Court issues sweeping directives

The Supreme Court on 7 November directed all states, Union Territories, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), and civic bodies to remove stray cattle and dogs from roads and public spaces.

In sweeping directions, the apex court ordered the removal of stray cattle from national and state highways, as well as other roads, according to LiveLaw.

A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and NV Anjaria issued the order in a suo motu case concerning stray dogs.

What did the court say?

The court instructed States and UTs to form dedicated highway patrol teams to catch stray cattle and shift them to shelter homes, where they will be properly cared for. All stray dogs will also be removed from the premises of educational institutions, hospitals, bus stands, railway stations, and other similar areas and relocated to dog shelters.

The animals must be relocated to goshalas or shelter homes, the report noted. The top court also ordered that stray dogs “should not be released to the same spot from which they were picked up”. “Permitting the same would frustrate the very purpose of liberating such institutions from the presence of stray dogs,” the court stated.

The court instructed local authorities to conduct regular inspections to ensure that no stray dog habitats are present on such premises.

The concerned local self-government bodies will be responsible for capturing stray dogs from such areas or institutions and relocating them to designated shelters, following vaccination and sterilisation as per the Animal Birth Control Rules, the report mentioned.

“A joint coordinated drive shall be undertaken to immediately remove all such animals found on highways/roadways/expressways, including cattle. Chief Secretaries of all states/UTs shall ensure strict compliance with this. Otherwise, officers will be held personally responsible. Status to be filed in 8 weeks, indicating mechanism developed to carry out directions,” LiveLaw quoted the court as saying.

According to PTI, the next hearing in the stray dogs case is scheduled for 13 January.

On 3 November, the Supreme Court said that it would issue interim directions to address the “grave menace” of dog bites in institutional areas, particularly where employees feed and encourage stray dogs. The court was hearing a suo motu case that began on 28 July, following a media report highlighting incidents of stray dog bites leading to rabies, especially among children, in the national capital, according to a PTI report. 

The court broadened the scope of the case beyond the Delhi-NCR region and directed that all states and Union Territories be made parties to the proceedings.