Senior advocate Gaurav Agarwal, the amicus curiae in the matter, outlined steps taken by various states while highlighting serious deficiencies
New Delhi: Expressing concern over the failure of state governments to comply with its directions to enhance stray dog sterilisation capacity, the Supreme Court on Wednesday remarked that states were “building castles in the air”.
A three-judge Bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and N.V. Anjaria, which began hearing submissions on compliance with its earlier orders, expressed dissatisfaction with the progress made and observed that States were indulging in “storytelling”.
Senior advocate Gaurav Agarwal, the amicus curiae in the matter, outlined steps taken by various states while highlighting serious deficiencies. He said that although some states had taken measures in line with the court’s directions, there was still a long way to go for full compliance.
The amicus said states must significantly expand animal birth control (ABC) facilities, scale up sterilisation of stray dogs, establish dog pounds or shelters, fence institutional areas, and remove stray animals from roads and highways.
Referring to Bihar, Agarwal said the state claimed to have 34 ABC centres where 20,648 dogs had been sterilised. However, he pointed out that the affidavit did not specify daily sterilisation capacity or the time period over which the figures were achieved. “If there are more than six lakh dogs in the state, sterilisation of 20,648 dogs is totally insufficient,” he submitted, adding that only 91 dogs were currently housed in pounds and that the affidavit did not indicate how many institutional areas had been surveyed for fencing or boundary walls.
The Bench observed that most states had failed to provide data on stray dog bites. “None of the states have given figures on dog bites, except Assam,” it said.
Appearing for the Bihar government, advocate Manish Kumar submitted that the state was putting systems in place and that substantial progress would be achieved within three months.
The court also expressed shock over Assam’s dog-bite statistics. “In 2024, there were 1.66 lakh dog bites. In 2025, in January alone, there were 20,900. This is shocking,” the Bench observed.
Warning states against vague submissions, Justice Nath said strong strictures would be passed against governments that made vague averments in affidavits. The court also noted non-compliance with directions to fence institutional areas such as schools and hospitals to prevent the entry of stray animals.
“Every public building should be fenced, not only to prevent stray animals but also to protect property from theft,” the court observed, adding that despite repeated directions, little concrete work appeared to have been done on the ground.
The amicus said he would place a summary of steps taken by Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Telangana on Thursday. The court posted the matter for further hearing on Thursday. The Supreme Court is hearing a suo motu case initiated on July 28 last year following media reports on stray dog attacks and rabies cases, particularly affecting children in the national capital.
( Source : Deccan Chronicle )
Next Story