Supreme Court allows for euthanasia of ‘rabid dogs’, refuses to recall directives to remove strays from public spaces

Key points

• The Supreme Court on Tuesday (May 19, 2026) refused to modify its November 7, 2025 order directing all States and Union Territories to ensure the removal of stray dogs from high-footfall public institutions, including educational institutions, hospitals, bus depots, and railway stations, while clarifying that such dogs cannot be “re-released” into these institutional areas even after vaccination and sterilisation.
• Stray dogs at the centre of a growing social divide A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and N.V.
• Anjaria observed that a “harmonious” reading of the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023, together with their parent statute, the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, did not support the contention that stray dogs possess an “indefeasible or absolute right” to occupy or remain in all categories of public spaces irrespective of their nature or use.
• “The right to live with dignity under Article 21 of the Constitution of India...