The Supreme Court has directed that free-ranging dogs be removed from schools, hospitals and other institutional areas.
Local bodies must capture, sterilise and shelter the dogs, and prevent their re-entry into premises.
The court also ordered authorities to clear highways of stray cattle and other animals to prevent fatal crashes.
It said the presence of animals on roads and in public institutions reflects systemic neglect of safety.
States and national agencies must submit status reports within eight weeks.
The Supreme Court on November 7, 2025 issued a sweeping set of directions to curb the twin public safety crises of stray dog attacks and cattle-related road accidents, ordering that free-ranging dogs be removed from schools, hospitals and other institutions, and that highways be cleared of wandering cattle and animals that have caused rising numbers of fatal crashes.
Taking note of the alarming rise in dog-bite cases, the court directed all educational institutions, hospitals, public sports complexes, bus stands and depots to take immediate steps to fence their premises adequately to prevent the entry of stray dogs.
A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and NV Anjaria said the responsibility for removing stray dogs lies with local self-government bodies, which must capture, vaccinate, sterilise, and relocate them to designated shelters in line with the Animal Birth Control Rules. The court made it clear that such dogs “shall not be released back to the same location from which they were picked up,” noting that doing so “would frustrate the very effect of the directions issued to liberate such institutional areas from the presence of stray dogs.”
Once the removal exercise is completed, institutions have been directed to conduct regular monitoring to ensure no stray dogs re-enter their premises.
“All government and private hospitals shall maintain a mandatory stock of anti-rabies vaccines and immunoglobulin at all times,” the court said. It also ordered the implementation of proper waste-management systems to eliminate food sources that attract animals, along with regular inspections to detect and address the presence of strays.
Extending its concern beyond institutional premises, the bench also addressed the growing menace of stray cattle and other animals on public roads and highways.
“It is a matter of grave and continuing public concern that accidents caused by cattle and other stray animals on public roads and highways have become alarmingly frequent across the country,” the court noted, adding that such incidents, which often result in loss of human life, grievous injuries, and damage to property, “are not isolated events but symptomatic of a larger failure on the part of the administrative authorities entrusted with public safety.”
The judges described the uncontrolled presence of cattle and other animals on national and state highways as a “serious and avoidable threat, particularly during night-time or in high-speed zones”.
“The court cannot remain unmindful of the preventable nature of these accidents, which not only reflect administrative indifference but also undermine the constitutional guarantee of the right to life and safety under Article 21,” the order stated. The Article guarantees the fundamental right to the protection of life and personal liberty.
The court directed state and national highway authorities to remove free-ranging cattle and other animals from roads and relocate them to goshalas or cattle pounds. Officials failing to comply will face accountability measures. It also sought a status report within eight weeks on the mechanisms developed to implement these directions.
All authorities have been instructed to establish dedicated highway patrol teams, or assign existing road-safety units, for continuous surveillance and immediate response to reports of stray animals obstructing traffic. These patrols are to operate round the clock and coordinate with local police, veterinary officers, and municipal or Panchayati Raj institutions.
A helpline number must also be displayed prominently along national and state highways, and expressways, to allow the public to report the presence of stray cattle or accidents.
The court said the latest directions were being issued “in continuation and furtherance” of its earlier order dated August 22, 2025 that sought to curb the menace of stray dog attacks within institutional areas through effective preventive and administrative mechanisms. The August 22 order had stayed an earlier August 11, 2025 order mandating permanent sheltering of free-ranging dogs.