The Supreme Court on May 19 will deliver its judgement in the suo motu case initiated by it last year to examine measures being taken to manage the stray dog population across India [In Re: "City Hounded by Strays, Kids Pay Price" v. The State of Andhra Pradesh].

A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and NV Anjaria had reserved its verdict on January 29 after hearing the final leg of submissions made by various States, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI).

The issue of stray dog management gained national attention last year after a Bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan directed Delhi municipal authorities to round up and shelter stray dogs, drawing protests from animal rights groups.

That order triggered widespread protests by animal rights groups and was later modified by the present three-judge Bench.

The modified directions shifted the focus to vaccination, sterilisation and release of dogs in accordance with the Animal Birth Control Rules. Since then, the Court expanded the scope of the case.

On November 7, 2025, as an interim measure, the Court directed States and the NHAI to remove stray animals from highways and institutional areas like hospitals, schools and educational institutions across the country. 

It also ordered fencing of government and private educational and health institutions within eight weeks to prevent stray dog bites, and directed that dogs picked up from such institutional areas should not be released back into the same premises.

Multiple petitions were filed challenging the November 7 order. Judgment is to be pronounced in these petitions tomorrow.