Madras HC seeks stray canine administration experiences from Tamil Nadu, Puducherry govt
The Madras Excessive Court docket on Monday directed the Tamil Nadu and Puducherry governments to file separate standing experiences inside 4 weeks detailing the steps they’ve taken to implement the Supreme Court docket’s instructions on managing stray canines and defending public security.
A bench of Chief Justice SA Dharmadhikari and Justice G Arul Murugan requested each governments to supply particulars on the “variety of animal contraception centres they’ve established, the veterinarians and skilled employees they’ve appointed, and the frequency of sterilisation and vaccination drives”.
The courtroom additionally sought data on measures taken to take away stray canines from academic institutionshospitals, parks and bus stands, the creation of helpline numbers to report canine bites, and mechanisms for the adoption of stray canines.
The courtroom mentioned that the governments should file their replies inside 4 weeks.
It additionally burdened that “authorities should give prime precedence to creating college premises freed from stray canines”.
The excessive courtroom had taken up the matter suo motu as a public curiosity litigation to make sure the implementation in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry of latest Supreme Court docket instructions on stray canine administration.
The bench directed the registry to implead the chief secretaries and the secretaries of the animal husbandry, well being, and municipal administration departments in each governments as respondents.
The Madras Excessive Court docket issued the suo motu proceedings following an order of the Supreme Court docket, which expressed concern over the rising stray canine inhabitants and its influence on public security.
On Might 19, the Supreme Court docket mentioned that unchecked inhabitants of stray canines had grow to be “more and more feral,” and that the identical posed “critical menace to public security”.
“Compassion for animal lifehowsoever necessary, can’t be interpreted in a fashion that compels residents to endure recurring threats to their very own lives, security and bodily integrity,” the apex courtroom had mentioned on the time.
Additionally Learn:Supreme Court docket stays agency on stray canines curbs in public locations
It additionally mentioned that as per information experiences, Tamil Nadu recorded 2.63 lakh dog-bite instances and 17 deaths within the first 4 months of 2026. Referring to comparable statistics from different states, the Supreme Court docket attributed the rising drawback to the failure of state governments and Union territories to successfully implement the Animal Delivery Management framework launched in 2001.
In its order then, the Supreme Court docket directed all Excessive Courts to provoke suo motu proceedings on the problem. It permitted them to “develop or tailor the scope of such instructions, as could also be needed to deal with native situations and exigencies, with out in any method diluting the tenor and intent of the instructions” issued by the apex courtroom.
The Supreme Court docket had first taken suo motu cognisance of the problem in July 2025 after a newspaper report highlighted alarming statistics on stray canine assaults throughout the nation.
