The Delhi High Court has registered a suo motu public interest litigation (PIL) to monitor the implementation of the Supreme Court’s directions on stray dog management, particularly concerning the removal of stray dogs from educational institutions, hospitals and other public places.
The Bench of Justice Dinesh Mehta and Justice Rajneesh Kumar Gupta sought responses from the Centre, the Delhi government, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on steps taken for stray dog birth control and vaccination. The matter will next be heard on August 3.
The PIL has been registered pursuant to the Supreme Court’s May 19 judgment directing all High Courts to initiate suo motu proceedings to oversee compliance with its nationwide directions on stray dog management. The Apex Court also asked Chief Secretaries of all States and Union Territories to file compliance reports before the High Courts by August 7, 2026, warning that continued non-compliance would be viewed seriously.
Earlier, on November 7, 2025, the Supreme Court had directed States and the NHAI to remove stray animals from highways, schools, hospitals and other institutional areas. It also ordered the fencing of educational and health institutions to prevent stray dog attacks and directed that dogs removed from such premises should not be released back into the same locations.
While its initial directions to relocate stray dogs had later been modified following protests, the Court reaffirmed that vaccination, sterilisation and management must be carried out in accordance with the Animal Birth Control Rules.
The post Delhi High Court initiates suo motu PIL to monitor compliance with Supreme Court directions on stray dog removal appeared first on India Legal.