Cruel Care: On Supreme Court’s Stray Dogs Address
Supreme Court on Wednesday highlighted the importance of making high-footfall public institutions free of stray dogs.
The Supreme Court’s remark that “no one knows which dog is in what mood” while addressing the issue of stray animals on roads has drawn attention, but it also raises an uncomfortable question — how did a problem so visible, so routine, reach a point where judicial intervention feels like the only response? Stray dogs on roads are not a new phenomenon. They have been part of India’s urban life for decades, quietly ignored until accidents, bites or deaths force the issue back into public view.
The Court is right in pointing out the uncertainty and danger that animals on busy roads pose. Road accidents involving stray animals are frequent, and dog bite cases run into thousands every year across states. Yet, skepticism arises when the discussion stops at observation. The rules already exist. Animal Birth Control programmes, vaccination drives and relocation guidelines have been framed, revised and circulated multiple times. What has consistently failed is execution.
Municipal bodies often cite lack of funds or manpower. State governments pass responsibility downwards. Animal welfare groups and resident associations end up locked in argument, while roads remain unchanged. In this cycle, public safety becomes incidental, addressed only when the consequences become impossible to ignore.
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There is also a tendency to frame the debate as a choice between compassion and control. That framing is misleading. Questioning why animals roam highways and school zones unchecked is not cruelty; it is a demand for governance. Compassion without planning only shifts the problem, it does not solve it.
The Court’s concern is valid, but concern alone cannot replace accountability. If no one knows which dog is in what mood, the more pressing issue is this — no one seems clearly responsible for ensuring that streets are safe, for humans or animals.
