India's Supreme Court Upholds Public Right to Walk Free of Street Dog Threats

The Supreme Court of India dismissed all interim petitions challenging the Animal Welfare Board of India's (AWBI) standard operating procedures (SOP) for street‑dog management. The bench, led by Justice V. Nath, affirmed that under Article 21 of the Constitution, citizens have the right to move in public places without fear of physical harm, including bites from stray dogs. The Court held that the SOPs, issued on 27 November 2025, are within the AWBI’s authority and do not exceed its statutory limits. It reiterated that stray dogs seized in public areas must be sterilised, vaccinated and returned only to designated holding facilities, and that the state’s failure to implement systematic sterilisation, vaccination and infrastructure has led to the current public safety concerns. The judgment emphasized the need for a sustained, integrated approach to animal birth control rather than ad‑hoc reactive measures, warning that persistent inaction threatens public health, safety and environmental balance.