India’s Stray Dog Crisis: Supreme Court Slams ‘Dog Counseling’ While Thousands Die

India’s highest court calls out authorities for failing to control stray dog attacks that claim 36% of the world’s rabies deaths. Sarcastic judicial remarks expose a deadly governance failure.
January 10, 2026 | New Delhi, India

The Remark That Went Viral

“Only thing missing is providing counseling to the dogs as well. So that he doesn’t bite when released back.”

When Justice Vikram Nath delivered this line during Supreme Court hearings on January 6, 2026, he wasn’t just being sarcastic. He was highlighting a deadly reality: while animal welfare advocates push for sterilize-and-release programs, people—especially children—are literally dying from stray dog attacks.

The three-judge bench (Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, NV Anjaria) expressed visible frustration as only 3 out of 36 states/UTs complied with court orders to control the crisis.

This isn’t animal cruelty hysteria. India accounts for 36% of global rabies deaths—that’s 18,000–20,000 preventable deaths annually.

Delhi alone recorded 68,090 dog bites in 2024 and 26,334 bites in just seven months of 2025.

The Numbers That Demand Action

Additional facts:

• 74% of bites come from stray dogs
• 82% of attacks are unprovoked
• 30–60% of victims are children under 15
• Even Supreme Court judges have been attacked—two incidents in 20 days, one causing serious spinal injuries

What the Court Actually Ordered

The Supreme Court did not call for mass dog killings. Its directions evolved into a balanced framework.

August 2025: Initial Shock Order

• Capture all Delhi-NCR strays
• Build permanent shelters (no release back)
• 6–8 week deadline

Result: Massive protests from animal rights groups

August 22, 2025: Balanced Approach

• Sterilize and vaccinate most strays
• Release non-aggressive dogs (as per ABC Rules 2023)
• Permanently remove rabid or aggressive dogs
• Extend implementation to all 28 states and 8 UTs

November 2025: Institutional Carve-Out

High-risk premises identified:

• Schools
• Hospitals
• Railway stations

Directions:

• Remove all stray dogs from these premises
• No release back to the same location
• States to build designated shelters
• Fence campuses within 8 weeks

The bench asked plainly: “Why do we need stray dogs inside schools, hospitals, or courts?”

The Shocking Compliance Failure

Court Direction (August 2025): File affidavits in 8 weeks
Reality (January 2026): Only 3 of 36 complied

Justice Nath’s warning:

“Eight weeks were given in August. Today is October 27, and there has been no response, nothing.”

Chief Secretaries were personally summoned on October 27, 2025.

Why Mass Sheltering Won’t Work: The Arithmetic

Senior Counsel K.K. Venugopal (NALSAR Hyderabad) laid out the logistical impossibility:

• 15.46 lakh schools and colleges in India
• × 10 dogs per institution (average)
• = 1.54 crore dogs requiring shelter
• ÷ 20 dogs per shelter
• = 77,347 shelters required

Ground reality:

• Delhi has zero dedicated dog shelters
• ABC capacity in Delhi: 20 centers, 2,500–4,000 dogs max
• Central funding (2021–2025): ₹0

The Two Sides Clash in Court

Animal Welfare Advocates Argue:

• “CSVR works—Uttar Pradesh reduced dog population to near-zero”
• “Shelters become disease hotspots”
• “Removing dogs creates a vacuum—new dogs move in”
• “Communities already feed dogs sustainably”

The Court’s Response:

• “No one knows which dog is in what mood”
• “Children and adults are getting bitten, people are dying”
• “Forget regulations for now—confront reality”

The Real Problem: Governance Collapse

This is not a stray dog issue—it is a collapse of the Animal Birth Control (ABC) program.

Key failures:

• ABC programs halted in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai
• Over 3,000 NGOs, only 75 re-approved
• Zero central funding between 2021–2025
• Mandatory committees non-functional
• Arbitrary tender blocks by AWBI

Where ABC programs run properly, dog bites drop sharply. Where they stop, attacks spike immediately.

What’s Next? The January 8 Hearing

The Supreme Court has warned of:

• Personal liability for officials
• Imposition of costs
• Coercive measures for non-compliance

With Chief Secretaries already summoned once, escalation is expected.

Realistic Solutions Identified

1. Repair ABC programs—fund, staff, and execute them properly
2. Fence institutions—cheaper and faster than mass shelters
3. Highway SOPs—NHAI identifying 1,400 km danger stretches
4. Data transparency—end rabies death underreporting

The Bottom Line

The Supreme Court is not anti-dog. It is enforcing Article 21—the right to life— when 36% of global rabies deaths occur on Indian streets.

The sarcastic “dog counseling” remark cuts through ideology. 18,000+ deaths each year are not theoretical debates.

This is a governance crisis. Fix the ABC programs that already work. Fence schools and hospitals. Fund what the law mandates.

Children should not pay with their lives for bureaucratic paralysis.

Sources

• People Are Being Bitten, Dying: Supreme Court Raps States on Stray Dog Menace — LawBeat (January 2026)

• People Dying Due to Stray Dog Attacks: Authorities Failed to Implement Rules, Says SC — Moneylife (January 2026)

• Stray Dogs Case: SC Says Authorities Failed To Follow Rules — Verdictum (January 2026)

• Children, Adults Are Getting Bitten, People Are Dying: SC Flags Alarming Rise in Attacks — LawChakra (January 2026)

• SC Concerned Over Stray Dog Menace, Lives Being Lost Due to Inaction on ABC Rules — The Hans India (January 2026)

About the Author

✍️ Adv. Mamta Singh Shukla
Advocate, Supreme Court of India | PoSH Trainer
Originally published by Vijay Foundation.
For more articles, visit vijayfoundations.com.

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