The Calcutta High Court on Thursday sought the response of the West Bengal government to a plea seeking sterilisation of stray dogs in the State [Akash Sharma v State of West Bengal & Ors].

A Division Bench of Justices Sujoy Paul and Smita Das De also sought reports from the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) and Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation BMC), a city in the North 24 Parganas district.

"The reports should be filed in four weeks," the Court ordered.

The High Court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by advocate Akash Sharma seeking urgent action to curb the growing stray dog menace in West Bengal.

He stated that there has been a sharp rise in dog-bite cases, which jumped from nearly 23,000 in 2022 to over 76,000 in 2024.

In his plea, Sharma alleged that civic authorities have failed to implement the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023, which mandate systematic sterilisation and vaccination of stray dogs.

The PIL urged the Court to direct the State government to launch mass sterilisation and vaccination programmes, set up designated feeding zones and establish state-run shelters for strays.