Supreme Court Warns States of Heavy Compensation for Dog Bite Cases, Holds Dog Feeders Accountable
Stray Dog Bite Cases: Feeders Also Responsible, States to Pay Compensation, Says SC: The Supreme Court on Tuesday expressed serious concern over the poor enforcement of stray animal control rules across the country and warned that it would direct state governments to pay substantial compensation in cases involving dog bite incidents, particularly those resulting in death or injury to children and elderly people.
A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and N.V. Anjaria said that both state authorities and individuals who feed stray dogs would be held “responsible” and “accountable” for such incidents.
Justice Vikram Nath observed that despite existing rules, there had been virtually no effective implementation over the past five years. “For every case of death or injury to children or elderly people due to dog bites, we will demand substantial compensation from state governments because they have done nothing to implement the rules,” he said. The court further questioned the role of dog feeders, asking why those who claim to love stray dogs do not take them into their homes instead of allowing them to roam freely and pose a threat to the public.
Supreme Court Warns of Compensation, Fixes Responsibility
Justice Sandeep Mehta highlighted the seriousness of the issue, asking who should be held accountable when stray dogs attack a child. “When dogs attack a nine-year-old child, who should be held responsible? The organization that feeds them? You want us to turn a blind eye to this problem,” he remarked.
The apex court was hearing a batch of petitions seeking modification of its November 7, 2025 order, which directed authorities to remove stray animals from public places and streets. During the hearing, the court referred to what it described as a “bizarre” incident in Gujarat, where a lawyer was bitten by a dog in a park. When municipal officials attempted to capture the animal, they were allegedly attacked by lawyers claiming to be dog lovers.
The court also expressed regret that despite four days of hearings, it had been unable to move forward meaningfully due to repeated interventions by activists and non-governmental organisations. As a result, the bench said it had not yet been able to hear the views of the central and state governments.
Urging cooperation from members of the legal fraternity, the Supreme Court said it wanted to fix accountability at all levels. “We request all the lawyers to allow us to fix accountability of the central, state governments, and other relevant bodies. Let us pass the order. We need to spend half a day with the states and the central government to see if they have any action plan,” the court said, adding that the problem of stray dog attacks had “escalated a thousandfold.”
The bench clarified that it was only seeking proper implementation of existing statutory provisions and stressed the need to move forward with concrete action to address the growing public safety concern.
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