‘Not only dog bites’: SC flags road accidents due to strays; highlights civic lapses, warns states | India News

NEW DELHI: Flagging lapses by civic authorities, the Supreme Court on Wednesday observed that fatalities across the country are being caused not just by dog bites, but also by road accidents involving stray animals.A bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and N V Anjaria made the remarks while hearing pleas seeking modification of its earlier directions, filed by animal lovers as well as those demanding stricter enforcement of the court’s orders. The bench noted that several lawyers and animal rights activists had argued they were not heard before the November 7 order was passed.

“The roads should be clear of dogs and stray animals. It is not only the dog bites but also the roaming of stray animals on roads that are proving dangerous and causing accidents. No one knows which dog is in what mood in the morning. Civic bodies have to implement the rules, modules and directions strictly,” the bench said, according to news agency PTI.Justice Mehta highlighted the seriousness of the issue, pointing out that two Rajasthan High Court judges had met with accidents in the past 20 days, with one still suffering from spinal injuries. “It’s a serious issue,” he told counsel appearing in the matter.Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for a petitioner seeking modification of the earlier order, argued that the solution does not lie in rounding up all stray dogs. He said a scientific and globally accepted approach was needed to reduce human-animal conflict.Sibal urged the court to adopt the CSVR model—Capture, Sterilise, Vaccinate and Release—for controlling the stray dog population, submitting that this method would gradually bring down dog bite incidents. “Prevention is always better than cure,” Justice Nath remarked, adding that the court’s earlier directions were limited to removing stray dogs from institutional areas and did not override existing rules.‘Strict enforcement of existing rules’The bench clarified that its focus was on ensuring strict enforcement of existing rules, regulations, modules and standard operating procedures by states and civic bodies. “Some states have not responded to compliance with our orders and implementation of the arguments. We will be very harsh with those states. All the rules, regulations and SOPs need to be followed,” the court warned.When lawyers pointed out ongoing dog attacks, the bench said it was aware that children and adults were being bitten and, in some cases, losing their lives.At the outset, senior advocate Gaurav Agarwal, appointed amicus curiae in the case, informed the court that the National Highways Authority of India had prepared an SOP to comply with the court’s directions. “They have identified 1,400 km of road as a vulnerable stretch. However, after detection, the NHAI says that the state governments have to take care of it,” Agarwal said.The bench suggested fencing highways and expressways to prevent stray animals from entering roadways. Agarwal also told the court that states including Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Punjab were yet to file compliance affidavits, while some submissions received so far were “disappointing”. Justice Nath said the court would deal with those states.‘If one tiger is a man-eater … ‘Continuing his submissions, Sibal said the response to the stray dog issue must reflect a mature and responsible society. “First of all, this is not an adversarial issue and we are here as dog lovers. If one tiger is a man-eater, we don’t kill all tigers,” he argued, stressing the need for sterilisation to systematically reduce dog populations. He claimed the CSVR model had brought down the stray dog population in Lucknow to almost zero.Sibal also cautioned that housing rabid and non-rabid dogs together could spread the disease. Responding in a lighter vein, the bench remarked, “The only thing missing is providing counselling to the dogs as well so that he doesn’t bite when released back.”Similar submissions were made by senior advocates Colin Gonsalves, Anand Grover and C U Singh, along with several animal rights activists who appeared in person. Senior advocate K K Venugopal, appearing for NALSAR, Hyderabad, highlighted data pointing to an acute shortage of shelters for stray dogs.The hearing remained inconclusive and is set to continue on Thursday.The case stems from the apex court’s November 7 directions, issued after noting an “alarming rise” in dog bite incidents within institutional areas such as schools, hospitals and railway stations. The court had ordered the immediate relocation of stray dogs from such premises to designated shelters after sterilisation and vaccination, and directed that the animals should not be released back to the same locations.It also instructed authorities to remove all cattle and other stray animals from state highways, national highways and expressways, warning that repeated dog bite incidents reflected administrative apathy and a systemic failure to secure public spaces from preventable dangers.The Supreme Court is hearing the matter as part of a suo motu case initiated on July 28 last year, following media reports on stray dog attacks leading to rabies, particularly among children, in the national capital.