Supreme Court On Stray Dogs | Public Safety First: Supreme Court's Major Order On Stray Dogs

Added: 2026-05-19

[00:00:00][music] Now, welcome to Nationwide at 6.

[00:00:03]In a major decision to control stray dog attacks, the Supreme Court has allowed the removal of stray dogs from public institutions and transport hubs. The court said public safety cannot be ignored amid rising incidents of dog attacks across the country. The Supreme Court has ruled that stray dogs can be removed from places like hospitals, schools, railway stations, and airports to ensure public safety. A three judge bench observed that government cannot remain silent while cases of stray dog attacks continue on the rise. Now this has been in fact something that's been emotional for a lot of people. There's been public unity and uprising and protest as well. Let's go across straight on nationwide at 6 with Ambika Shukla from People for Animals India and Aditya Prattab advocate joining us.

[00:00:49]Aditya let me come to you to explain what the Supreme Court >> I can't hear the channel. Give me a moment please. Can I log in through a >> Okay, in the meanwhile, let me go across to Ambika.

[00:00:59]>> Ambika, let me actually come to you to explain your point of view. You must have heard what the Supreme Court has said. Where do you stand when you know on this debate?

[00:01:10]Well, what the Supreme Court has said, it has actually upheld the ABC rules 2023 and it has understood and uh explained that the rules of 2023 ABC rules are the framework for the entire uh issue and everything has to be done according to these rules. So there is nothing new really about the order. uh it says that sterilize vaccinate. It has recognized that this is the legal framework going forward and it is the only effective way to deal with the problem especially given uh today's environment of economic pressure when our own prime minister has said that we must look at responsible ways to spend public money. Sheltering is clearly out of the question because you would be needing 55,000 crores for simply sheltering institutional dogs. Now this is clearly a reckless spend.

[00:02:08]>> So therefore the Supreme Court has recognized that sterilization is the answer and they have actually come down on the side of science and uh the ABC rules and they have recognized.

[00:02:20]>> Fair enough. All right. Let me go go across to Aditya Prattab advocate on this uh you know you know expression by the Supreme Court of India. Aditya how do you see this? Could you explain to the common view of what does this mean?

[00:02:32]Because there were a lot of fears of you know mass culling of dogs mass you know putting them into shelters etc. What are the what is the basic framework or the SOP that the Supreme Court has suggested now? Well uh the sum and substance of the Supreme Court order is that they have upheld the animal birth control rules of 2023. Mhm.

[00:02:53]>> Now I would like to recall that it was in 2023 that I was representing a housing society before honorable Bombay High Court and while you know the petition was spending the rules came to be passed and then the honorable high court then took cognizance of the rules and accordingly disposed the matter. Now the point is the Supreme Court in in today's order judgment has essentially upheld the validity of those rules and it has said that those rules are to be complied with in letter and spirit. In short the rules lay down an entire administrative framework to reduce the to purportedly reduce the threat posed by by stray dogs to the general population. It puts in place a whole form of administrative mechanism that set up set up shelters when to euthanize stray dogs. when they when they are raid euthanize them when they pose a threat put them in shelter and so on. Now and then it has also said that any officer who does not comply with the ABC rules will be held up for contempt. Now in my opinion okay and the Supreme Court has also dismissed the petitions the IAS which are filed by the the applications filed by dog lovers seeking to challenge the rules. But in my opinion uh that see in my opinion frankly Supreme Court could have done more. I feel that in this judgment the Supreme Court has in a way looking at the the 2023 rules sort of uh regarded them as a fate accomply and said to comply with them when in reality let me tell you on the street of it stray dogs are mushrooming left right and center you know you know you know what is the there was only one logical one logical step to deal with these stray dogs which is to take away the excess numbers from the cities and release them in the countryside release them in the jungles release them in the national parks but this no one considered Because the biological reality is that the stray dog numbers have grown because there is no food chain. Nature controls population by means of a food chain. But I believe for whatever reason probably no one wanted to be you know no one wanted to face any scathing remarks. So you know like this is the most in this is the inconvenient truth.

[00:04:51]>> Fair enough.

[00:04:52]>> Unfortunately no one wants to take cognizance of >> fair enough. We'll keep a very close watch on that story. But Aditya Prattab and Amika, thank you very much for explaining to the viewers what the Supreme Court judgment really means and how this will impact or in fact bring in a solution on this entire debate. Let's slip into a short break here on NDTV, but Nationwide at 6 continues after the break.

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