Supreme Court reserves judgment in stray dogs case

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday reserved its verdict on a batch of petitions seeking modification of earlier orders in the stray dogs case.

A bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and NV Anjaria wrapped up the proceedings after hearing amicus curiae senior advocate Gaurav Agarwal, who summarised the steps taken by states like Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan in the matter. T

The bench also heard the counsel appearing for the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) regarding compliance with the November 7, 2025, order directing the authority to remove stray animals from national highways and fencing of roads.

The court asked the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) to process the applications of NGOs seeking permission to animal shelters or animal birth control facilities. AWBI pointed out that after the November 7 order of the apex court, there was a surge in such applications from different organisations.

"Either you accept it or reject the applications. But do it expeditiously," the bench told the counsel for AWBI.

The court also asked the parties to file their written submissions as early as possible in the matter.

On January 28, the apex court expressed displeasure with the state governments for failing to comply with its directions to expand stray dog sterilisation facilities and added that none of the states, except Assam, have given data on the number of attacks by stray dogs.

A suo motu case was registered on July 28, 2025, over a media report on stray dog bites leading to rabies, particularly among children, in the national capital.

The court subsequently expanded the proceedings to cover the country.