The Madras High Court on Monday directed the governments of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry to submit 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.
A bench of Chief Justice S A Dharmadhikari and Justice G Arul Murugan asked the two governments to provide details about “the number of animal birth control centers they have set up, the veterinarians and trained staff they have appointed, and the frequency of sterilization and vaccination drives”.
The court also sought information on measures taken to remove stray dogs from educational institutions, hospitals, parks and bus stands, establishment of helpline numbers for reporting dog bites, and mechanisms for adoption of stray dogs.
The court said governments must submit their responses within four weeks.
She also stressed that “the authorities must give top priority to making schools free of stray dogs.”
The Supreme Court took up the matter suo motu as a public interest litigation to ensure implementation of the recent Tamil Nadu and Puducherry High Court directions on management of stray dogs.
The court directed the registry to impress the Chief Secretaries and Secretaries of the Departments of Animal Husbandry, Health and Municipal Administration of both the Governments as respondents.
The Madras High Court passed the proceedings suo motu following an order from the Supreme Court, which expressed concern over the growing number of stray dogs and its impact on public safety.
On May 19, the Supreme Court said that the population of unchecked stray dogs was becoming “increasingly feral” and that the same constituted a “serious threat to public safety”.
“Compassion for animal life, however important, cannot be construed in such a way as to force citizens to endure repeated threats to their life, safety and physical integrity,” the Supreme Court 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. Pointing 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.
The Supreme Court in its order then directed all the high courts to initiate suo motu proceedings on the issue. It allowed them to “enlarge or tailor the scope of these Directives, as may be necessary to address local circumstances and requirements, without in any way weakening the substance and purpose of the Directives” issued by the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court had taken suo motu cognizance of the issue for the first time in July 2025 after a newspaper report highlighted alarming statistics about stray dog attacks across the country.
