Courts weigh stray dogs versus citizens amid rising public safety risks

India’s judiciary faces mounting pressure to balance animal welfare against human life and safety.

- ALOK MEHTA NEW DELHI

Not only in the national capital Delhi but in many parts of the country, the problem caused by stray dogs and other animals has become so serious that it has reached the courts. Unfortunately, some organisations, leaders, affluent individuals and even lawyers have gone to the Supreme Court in defence of stray dogs. This has raised a fundamental question: what should be the priority of society, government and the courts?

InJuly 2025, the Supreme Court took suo motu cognisance of the rising cases of dog bites, rabies infections and road accidents caused by stray dogs. The court initially observed that this was nota trivial matter, as it involved serious issues of public safety and fundamental rights under Article 21. During the hearings, the bench remarked, “A dog can attack by sensing a person's fear.” “We cannot read a human mind to know whether a dog will bite or not.” “A stray dog on the road notonly bites, italso collides with vehicles and cyclists.” The court stated that the safety of public places comes first.

The Supreme Court clarified that it had not ordered the removal of every dog from the streets; rather, its direction was to ensure that humane and scientific management of stray animalsisimplemented. According to Government of India health data, dog-bite cases have been rising sharply:

2022: 2,189,909

2023: 3,052,521

2024: 3,715,713

2025 (up to January 2026): 429,664 cases

"These figures clearly show that dog bites in India have become a problem of epidemic proportions. Delhi alone highlights how deep the crisis is: about 6,69 Lbites were reported in 2022, 17874 in 2023, around 25,210 in 2024, and 3,196 cases in 2025-26 (till January).