Goa, Kerala tourism affected due to stray dogs: Supreme Court

The Supreme Court yesterday while hearing the suo motu case initiated over stray dogs remarked that Goa and Kerala tourist was getting affected due to the presence of stray dogs on their beaches.

As a bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and NV Anjaria was hearing the matter, Justice Mehta said that stray dogs are attracted to beaches due to the presence of carcasses of fish. "That affects tourism also," Justice Mehta added.

Notably, Senior Advocate Gaurav Aggarwal who is assisting the court as Amicus Curiae told the bench that stray dogs picked up from beaches cannot be released back there. 

The bench noted "vague" affidavits were filed by some States and Union Territories with regard to its earlier directions to remove stray dogs from public places. Aggarwal took the bench through data provided by Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir.

Recently court had strongly criticised former Union minister Maneka Gandhi for her public remarks questioning the Apex Court’s orders on the stray dog issue, observing that her statements amounted to contempt of court. The bench had expressed clear displeasure over Gandhi’s comments made in public forums, including a podcast, where she criticised the judiciary’s approach to stray dog regulation.

Earlier, on January 13, the Supreme Court had indicated that it may direct states to pay “heavy compensation” in cases of dog bite incidents and had flagged that norms relating to stray animals have not been implemented for nearly five years. The Court had indicated that it may soon fix liability on state authorities and dog feeders for injuries and deaths caused by stray dog attacks, as the long-running Stray Dogs case. After three days of intense hearings last week, the Bench continued examining the issue of stray dogs in institutional premises and the failure of municipal bodies to effectively implement sterilization and control measures.

Previously, the Bench had examined the issue of stray dogs in institutional and residential premises, with intervenors seeking modifications to the Court’s earlier directions. They urged that stray dogs be released in the same area after sterilization and suggested adopting scientific and humane population control models capable of curbing dog-bite incidents within a few years. On the other hand, victims’ groups had pressed for the removal of strays from housing societies, citing increasing cases of dog attacks and concerns about safety in residential areas.

Appearing for an animal rights activist, Senior Advocate Mahalakshmi Pavani had drawn attention to the “harassment and assaults on women dog feeders” by vigilante groups. She alleged that authorities were failing to act or register FIRs despite repeated complaints. “Across the country, women feeding dogs are being beaten and humiliated. In Haryana, societies have hired bouncers to target feeders,” Pavani had said, adding that “authorities’ silence amounts to endorsement.”

Justice Vikram Nath had advised her to approach local police or magistrates, citing the Lalita Kumari judgment, which mandates registration of FIRs for cognizable offences. However, he clarified that the Court “cannot handle individual criminal cases”, calling it a law and order issue.

In July the top court had taken suo-moto cognizance of a very disturbing and alarming Newspaper cutting reported by the `Times of India’ in its Delhi edition titled “City Hounded By Strays, Kids Pay Price”. "Everyday, hundreds of dog bites are being reported in the city and the areas on the outskirts, leading to rabies and ultimately young infants, children and aged are falling prey to this dreadful disease. We are shocked to know that on an average 20,000 cases of dog bites are recorded in the country and out of which 2000 incidents happen in Delhi every day", the bench had noted.

As per the Newspaper report amidst the rising threat of stray dog in the national capital, a 6 year old girl by name Chavi Sharma fell prey to multiple dog bites leaving deep wounds on her left leg, arm and palm. Although the inhabitants of the locality complained for several times to the authorities concerned, yet none paid heed to the complaints of the people residing in the said locality. Also, a four year old boy Abhishek Rai was attacked by a pack of stray dogs on 23-7-2025 in Delhi’s Alipur area of Narela when the child was returning from his Anganwadi School. The dogs pounced at his face repeatedly injuring him until few bystanders rushed to his rescue.

Case Title: In Re: "City Hounded By Strays, Kids Pay Price"

Bench: Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and NV Anjaria

Hearing Date: January 28, 2026