The Madras High Court on Monday directed the Tamil Nadu and Puducherry governments to file separate status reports within four weeks detailing the steps they have taken to implement the Supreme Court’s directions on managing stray dogs and protecting public safety.
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A bench of Chief Justice SA Dharmadhikari and Justice G Arul Murugan asked both governments to provide details on the “number of animal birth control centres they have established, the veterinarians and trained staff they have appointed, and the frequency of sterilisation and vaccination drives”.
The court also sought information on measures taken to remove stray dogs from educational institutions, hospitals, parks and bus stands, the creation of helpline numbers to report dog bites, and mechanisms for the adoption of stray dogs.
The court said that the governments must file their replies within four weeks.
It also stressed that “authorities must give top priority to making school premises free of stray dogs”.
The high court had taken up the matter suo motu as a public interest litigation to ensure the implementation in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry of recent Supreme Court directions on stray dog management.
The bench directed the registry to implead the chief secretaries and the secretaries of the animal husbandry, health, and municipal administration departments in both governments as respondents.
The Madras High Court issued the suo motu proceedings following an order of the Supreme Court, which expressed concern over the growing stray dog population and its impact on public safety.
On May 19, the Supreme Court said that unchecked population of stray dogs had become “increasingly feral,” and that the same posed “serious threat to public safety”.
“Compassion for animal life, howsoever important, cannot be interpreted in a manner that compels citizens to endure recurring threats to their own lives, safety and bodily integrity,” the apex court had said at the time.
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It also said that as per news reports, Tamil Nadu recorded 2.63 lakh dog-bite cases and 17 deaths in the first four months of 2026. Referring to similar statistics from other states, the Supreme Court attributed the growing problem to the failure of state governments and Union territories to effectively implement the Animal Birth Control framework introduced in 2001.
In its order then, the Supreme Court directed all High Courts to initiate suo motu proceedings on the issue. It permitted them to “expand or tailor the scope of such directions, as may be necessary to address local conditions and exigencies, without in any manner diluting the tenor and intent of the directions” issued by the apex court.
The Supreme Court had first taken suo motu cognisance of the issue in July 2025 after a newspaper report highlighted alarming statistics on stray dog attacks across the country.
