Supreme Court Orders Removal of Stray Dogs From Schools, Hospitals and Transit Hubs

Overview

• A three-judge bench cited an alarming rise in dog-bite incidents and set an eight-week window to clear specified public spaces of strays.
• The order requires proper fencing of institutions and hubs, appointment of nodal officers, and measures to prevent sterilised animals from returning.
• Local bodies must capture, vaccinate and sterilise dogs and transfer them to designated shelters under the Animal Birth Control Rules.
• Municipal officials say the timeline is unrealistic as cities such as Chennai lack dedicated shelters, with six facilities only in planning and new ABC centres expected by December.
• Hospitals are evaluating barriers like trench gates and bollards, transport hubs still report roaming dogs worsened by food waste, and welfare groups caution that mass relocation could overcrowd shelters.