Supreme Court slams authorities over stray dog problem

January 31, 2026

The Supreme Court has repeatedly expressed concern over the increasing number of stray dogs on the streets and in markets. Now, the Supreme Court has reiterated this concern, expressing its displeasure and stating that state governments are making empty promises regarding stray dogs. It is also regrettable that due to the government’s inaction, unfortunate news of dogs being killed is emerging.

News has come from Kurnool in Telangana that hundreds of stray dogs were killed by lethal injection. In Telangana alone, the number of dogs killed in the year ending December 2025 has crossed 1200. Of course, some people have protested against the killing of dogs in the name of compassion for animals.

The Supreme Court had previously stated that it receives more petitions to save dogs than for homeless people. The Supreme Court has repeatedly emphasized that every state should establish shelters for stray dogs and implement a vaccination and sterilization program as a campaign. The Supreme Court says that issuing orders to remove stray dogs from any institutional area is a violation of its warnings.

The Supreme Court is extremely displeased with this situation. A long road lies ahead in this direction. Animal birth control facilities need to be increased, and the sterilization of stray dogs needs to be expedited. In addition, dog shelters need to be built. The critical question is also being raised: in this poor country, where shelters haven’t been built for ordinary homeless people, will they be built for dogs first? The Supreme Court also stated that no encouraging efforts have been made to remove stray animals from highways. As a result, stray animals are seen roaming on the roads and causing accidents.

Only Bihar has submitted an affidavit stating that it has 34 ABC (Animal Birth Control) centers where 20,648 dogs have been sterilized. Nowhere was it mentioned how many dogs the state is sheltering or sterilizing daily. The government lawyer said that significant progress would be made within three months. But what about the figures showing 166,000 dog bite incidents in Assam alone in 2024, and 20,900 incidents in January 2025? These figures are alarming.