Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday said his government would “remove” stray dogs from places with heavy public movement and use “legally permissible measures, including euthanasia” against “dangerous and aggressive dogs posing a threat to human life”, following the Supreme Court order issued on Tuesday.
For the first time, the Supreme Court has allowed euthanasia of stray dogs infected with rabies, an incurable disease, or found to be dangerous, in a move to curb the threat to human life. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and N V Angaria issued a series of directions to address the growing number of stray dogs across the country.
Punjab government begins campaign against stray dogs
In a statement shared on
“We will establish and maintain sufficient number of dog shelters where these stray dogs can be properly cared for,” he wrote.
Mann also said the government would use legally permissible measures, including euthanasia, in cases involving “rabid, incurably sick or clearly dangerous and aggressive dogs that pose a threat to human life, in full compliance with the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and ABC rules.”
The Chief Minister had announced on Thursday that the state government would start a campaign from Friday against stray and killer dogs that are endangering people’s lives.
Supreme Court order on stray dogs
In a major ruling on May 19, the Supreme Court allowed the euthanasia of rabid, terminally ill, dangerous and aggressive dogs to reduce the risk to human life. The court said that the right to live with dignity also includes the right to move freely without fear of harm from dogs.
In the first order of its kind, the court said that when the safety and lives of people are balanced against the interests and well-being of sentient beings, the constitutional balance must clearly favor the protection and preservation of human life.
The order came in a court case initiated on July 28 last year after media reports covered stray dog attacks that led to cases of rabies, especially among children, in the national capital.
The ruling places India among countries such as Türkiye, the United States, Russia, Japan, Morocco and Romania, where laws allow euthanasia of dangerous or unclaimed stray animals under regulated provisions.
