Underscoring the right to live with dignity under Article 21 includes the right to move freely in public spaces without the fear of dog bites, the Supreme Court, on Tuesday, dismissed the pleas challenging the standard operating procedure (SOP) to manage the stray dog menace, including that canines picked up from a public area should not be returned to the same place after sterilisation/ immunisation.

A bench headed by Justice Vikram Nath and comprising Justices Sandeep Mehta and N V Anjaria said, “This court finds no reason whatsoever to interfere with the SOP dated November 27, 2025, issued by the AWBI in compliance with the directions of this court. The challenge made to the SOPs, both on the grounds of the alleged excess of jurisdiction as well as on the basis of the inconsistency with the statutory scheme, does not merit acceptance in light of the conclusions recorded herein above. Accordingly, all interlocutory applications challenging the validity of the said SOPs stand dismissed.”

Alokparna Sengupta, managing director of Humane World for Animals India, welcomed the top court’s directions and urged all state governments and municipal bodies to address the root cause of the conflict through systematic and scientific sterilisation and vaccination drives.

“We are encouraged by the Court’s directions towards urgent and effective implementation of the statutory mandate of ABC. We urge all State governments and municipal bodies to undertake the responsibility to address the root cause of the conflict- systematic and scientific sterilization and vaccination programs”, Sengupta said.

She further expressed hope that states and Union Territories would not resort to measures beyond the scope of established law and scientific process, warning that such steps could lead to overpopulation and further conflict.

The applications had challenged the November 27, 2025, SOP issued by the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) for stray dog management.

The top court had then directed all states and Union Territories to remove stray dogs from the premises of educational institutions, hospitals, sports complexes, bus stands and depots, and railway stations, “to a designated shelter, after due sterilisation and vaccination in accordance with the Animal Birth Control Rules”.

“The right to live with dignity under Article 21 of the Constitution of India necessarily encompasses the right of every citizen to move freely and access public spaces without living under a constant apprehension of physical harm, attack, or exposure to life-threatening events such as dog bites in public areas”, the verdict highlighted.

The court added that it cannot remain oblivious to the harsh and deeply disturbing ground realities emerging from various parts of the country where young children have been mauled, elderly persons have been attacked, ordinary citizens have been left vulnerable in public spaces, and even international travellers have fallen victim to such incidents.

The bench observed had the states and the Union Territories acted with due diligence and foresight in implementing the mandate of the ABC framework from its inception, which including the timely and phased augmentation of sterilisation capacity, sustained vaccination drives, and the development of adequate institutional infrastructure, the present situation would not have assumed such alarming proportions.

The framework envisaged under the ABC Rules 2023 was intended to operate as a preventive and a long-term mechanism which required continuous and coordinated effort over time, it added.

“Failure to adopt such a proactive, structured, and sustained approach has therefore resulted in a largely reactive and crisis-driven response necessitated by the escalation of the problem rather than its prevention. Such an approach is neither efficient nor capable of yielding durable solutions, particularly in matters involving public health, human safety, and ecological balance,” the order said.

The bench was “constrained to observe” that the prolonged inaction, coupled with the absence of institutional commitment to the effective implementation of the ABC framework, has contributed significantly to the persistence as well as the aggravation of the problem, which has now assumed dimensions warranting urgent and systemic intervention.

“After reserving judgment in the present matter, this court has been apprised of multiple reports indicating that the incidents of dog bites and stray dog attacks continue to occur across different parts of the country with alarming frequency and severity. The reports brought to the notice of this court reveal that the magnitude of the problem and the resultant threat posed to the public safety has assumed deeply disturbing proportions,” the Supreme Court said.

The report further reports allegations of aggressive stray dogs within the airport premises and consequent attempts by the authorities to remove or relocate such animals after the incidents involving the passengers being bitten on the 13th and 31st March 2026.

“The very occurrence of repeated dog bite incidents within one of the country’s busiest international airports demonstrates the grave inadequacy of the existing containment and public safety measures. Another report relating to the state of Karnataka reports that more than two lakh dog bite cases were reported within merely the first four months of 2026, accompanied by at least 25 rabies-related deaths during the same period.”

The court asked states and UT’s to “forthwith take decisive and coordinated time-bound steps for announcing and augmenting the infrastructure necessary for the effective implementation of the ABC frame, including the expansion of sterilisation and vaccination capacity, strengthening of existing facilities, and creation of additional institutional mechanisms, commensurate with the skill and urgency of the issue.”

It said that the states and UT’s should ensure the establishment of at least one fully functional ABC centre in each district, duly equipped with adequate veterinary infrastructure, trained personnel, surgical facilities, and supporting logistics so as to enable the systemic continuous and large-scale implementation of sterilisation and vaccination programs.

The court said that such centres shall function with adequate capacity to address the local population of state dogs with proper record keeping, monitoring, and periodic reporting to ensure effective and sustained implementation of the ABC framework.

It said the states and the UTs shall ensure adequate availability of anti-rabies vaccine, and immunoglobin in all government, medical facilities, and shall put in place effective public health response mechanisms to deal with cases of dog bites.

On August 11, a two-judge bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan had ordered authorities in Delhi-NCR to relocate all stray dogs from the streets to dedicated shelters, underlining that the canines should not be returned to the streets. The order led to an uproar among animal lovers who rushed to the SC. The matter was later referred to a three-judge bench.