New Delhi, Jan 8 While continuing its hearing in the suo motu case on stray dog management in public spaces, the Supreme Court on Thursday remarked that dogs are capable of sensing fear and may attack individuals who are frightened or who have earlier been bitten.
A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and N.V. Anjaria was considering applications to modify its November 2025 order directing that stray dogs located within public institutions, including schools, hospitals, bus stations and campuses, be captured and not released at the same site after vaccination and sterilisation.
During the hearing, when a lawyer shook his head in disagreement to the observation that dogs can sense fear and tend to attack people who appear scared, the Justice Nath-led Bench said, “Do not nod your head. If they know you are scared, there is a higher chance they will attack you. Even your pet will do it.”
“The dog can smell a human who is afraid of dogs. It will always attack when it senses that. We are talking from personal experience,” it added.
Senior advocate C.U. Singh, appearing for an NGO, contended that the presence of canines helps maintain ecological balance, particularly in controlling rodent populations.
The senior counsel submitted that abrupt removal of dogs often leads to a surge in disease carrier rodents, referring to a situation in Surat decades ago to highlight unintended consequences. However, the apex court questioned whether there was any established correlation between removal of dogs and an increase in rodents.
In a lighter vein, the Justice Nath-led Bench observed that cats, which are natural predators of rodents, could be promoted to address the rodent menace.
“Dogs and cats are enemies. Cats kill rodents, so maybe more cats and fewer dogs could be a solution. Tell us how many dogs you want roaming in hospital corridors,” the top court remarked.
The Justice Nath-led Bench clarified that its November 2025 order did not direct the removal of every dog from the streets but mandated that stray dogs be dealt with strictly in accordance with the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules.
Senior advocate Shyam Divan, appearing for People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India, relied on Rule 11(19) of the ABC Rules to submit that dogs should normally be released in the same area from which they are captured, except where experts advise otherwise.
Divan also submitted that the prescribed detention period for stray dogs is four days and that confining animals for longer durations in congested shelters could amount to cruelty.
The senior counsel urged the apex court to consider halting directions for capturing dogs until local monitoring committees are satisfied about infrastructure readiness.
He further sought the constitution of an expert committee to examine the issue, adding that scientific considerations such as territoriality and ecological balance support the rule requiring re-release of dogs at the same location.
Justice Mehta, however, observed that reliance on earlier cases involving extinct animals was misplaced and ruled out any direct analogy.
The Supreme Court is hearing arguments from all stakeholders, including dog lovers, animal rights activists, NGOs and victims of dog bites.
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