Delhi High Court registers suo motu PIL on stray dogs issue

The Delhi High Court has registered a suo motu public interest litigation (PIL) case on the issue of stray dog management of stray dogs in line with the Supreme Court's directions on the removal of stray dogs from educational institutions and public places.

The Bench of Justice Dinesh Mehta and Justice Rajneesh Kumar Gupta sought a reply from the Central government, the Delhi government, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) regarding steps taken towards birth control and vaccination for the management of stray dogs.

The next date of hearing is August 3.

The issue of stray dog management gained national attention last year after the Supreme Court directed Delhi municipal authorities to round up and shift stray dogs to shelters. The Court also directed the State and municipal authorities to create dog shelters with sufficient staff to sterilise and immunise the dogs.

That order triggered widespread protests by animal rights groups and was later modified. The modified directions shifted the focus to vaccination, sterilisation and release of dogs in accordance with the Animal Birth Control Rules.

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.

By a May 19 judgment, the Supreme Court further directed High Courts to register a suo motu case to monitor the implementation of the directions issued by it. Chief Secretaries of all States and Union Territories were directed to file compliance reports by August 7, 2026  before High Courts.

The top court also warned that any continued non-compliance by the officials with the directions would be viewed seriously.