New Delhi, May 19 — The Supreme Court on Tuesday said the right to live with dignity includes the right to live without the threat of dog bites, as it dismissed pleas seeking recall of its earlier directions on relocation and sterilisation of stray dogs.
A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and NV Anjaria upheld the existing framework and issued fresh directions to States, Union Territories and statutory authorities to strengthen infrastructure for handling stray animals.
“The right to live with dignity encompasses the right to live freely without threat of harm from dog bites,” the Bench observed, adding that the court “cannot remain oblivious to harsh ground realities” where children, elderly persons and international travellers have become victims of dog attacks.
The court said there had been a “discernible absence” of sustained and systematic efforts by states and UTs to address the growing stray dog population. It noted that implementation of the Animal Birth Control (ABC) framework remained “sporadic, underfunded and uneven across jurisdictions”.
The Bench directed authorities to undertake coordinated efforts to augment infrastructure dealing with stray dogs and ensure proper implementation of sterilisation and vaccination programmes.
The apex court also dismissed petitions challenging the validity of the standard operating procedures issued by the Animal Welfare Board of India for handling stray animals.
The matter relates to a suo motu case initiated by the Supreme Court in July last year following media reports on rising dog-bite incidents and rabies cases, particularly among children in the national capital.
On November 7 last year, the court had directed authorities to relocate stray dogs from institutional areas such as schools, hospitals and railway stations to designated shelters after sterilisation and vaccination. It had also ordered that dogs picked up from such places should not be released back into the same localities.
The court had further directed removal of stray cattle and animals from national highways, state highways and expressways.
During earlier hearings, the court had expressed dissatisfaction over compliance by Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu with its directions on stray dog management.