New Delhi, July 28, 2025 — In a significant move to address the rising menace of stray dog attacks, the Supreme Court of India on Monday took suo motu cognisance of a disturbing media report highlighting a surge in rabies-related deaths, particularly affecting children and senior citizens.
A bench comprising Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan acted on a news article titled “City hounded by strays and kids pay price”, which detailed alarming instances of dog bites in both urban and peripheral areas, several of which have resulted in fatal rabies infections.
“This is a highly disturbing news report,” Justice Pardiwala observed in open court. “It contains extremely troubling details. There are reports of hundreds of dog bite incidents from both cities and peripheral areas, many of which have led to rabies infections. Ultimately, it is infants and senior citizens who are falling prey to this deadly disease.”
Stressing the urgency of the matter, the bench ordered that the registry treat the case as a suo motu writ petition, and directed that a copy of the order along with the news article be placed before the Chief Justice of India for further necessary directions.
The court’s intervention comes amid increasing public concern over the unchecked rise in stray dog populations across several Indian cities and towns. Reports have repeatedly highlighted the lack of a coordinated response from local authorities, with incidents of attacks on vulnerable individuals — including toddlers and the elderly — drawing outrage from civil society and health professionals alike.
The article cited by the court reportedly chronicles numerous recent cases, including fatal attacks that went unaddressed due to delays in administering post-bite rabies prophylaxis and inadequate stray control measures. Public health experts have warned that the rabies virus remains almost uniformly fatal once symptoms appear, and called for urgent vaccination drives and effective animal birth control programs.
With the Supreme Court stepping in, legal experts believe the matter could lead to a nationwide policy push to strengthen municipal responses, improve public health infrastructure related to animal bites, and enforce regulations on stray animal management.
The case is expected to be listed shortly before the appropriate bench as directed by the Chief Justice.
