Rajasthan HC Directs State-Wide Compliance With Supreme Court's Stray Dog Directions
The Jaipur Bench, monitoring compliance with Supreme Court directions on stray dogs, ordered affidavits from the State, Union of India and Animal Welfare Board of India, clarifying the order covers all of Rajasthan.
A Division Bench of the Rajasthan High Court at Jaipur, on 29 June 2026, took up a suo motu writ petition tracking compliance with directions issued by the Supreme Court on the stray dog menace. Acting Chief Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma and Justice Maneesh Sharma directed the State's Additional Advocate General to file a detailed report on action taken by local municipal authorities across Rajasthan, and issued notice to the Union of India and the Animal Welfare Board of India.
No one appeared for the petitioner side, since the matter proceeds as a suo motu registration. Mr. GS Gill, Additional Advocate General, appeared for the State and accepted notice on behalf of respondent Nos. 3 and 4, assisted by Ms. Shikha Sharma, Additional Assistant Advocate General.
A Suo Motu Petition Tracking Supreme Court Directions
The cause title itself describes the proceeding: Suo Moto In Re Compliance With The Directions Issued By The Supreme Court In Suo Moto v. Union of India. The registration exists solely to monitor how Rajasthan is implementing directions the Supreme Court has already issued on stray dogs, and the Bench used this hearing to convert those directions into concrete State-level obligations.
The order records that the AAG must file a report on steps taken by local municipal bodies in line with the Supreme Court's directions on removal of stray dogs and on providing fencing gates around educational institutions, hospitals, sports complexes, bus terminals, railway stations and smaller townships near Primary Health Centres.
Sterilisation, Vaccination and the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023
The Bench directed that a separate wing be created for removing stray dogs from and around public roads. Dogs so captured, the order states, would have to be sterilised and vaccinated in accordance with the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023. The affidavit to be filed must also set out steps taken to ensure adequate Anti Rabies Vaccine stock in Primary Health Centres, Community Health Centres, dispensaries and hospitals across the State.
Notice to Union of India and the Animal Welfare Board
The Court issued notice to the Union of India and the Animal Welfare Board of India, requiring an affidavit on the steps taken to establish the Animal Welfare Board at district levels and to put in place a Standard Operating Procedure for prevention of dog bites. The order also calls for instructions to be issued, both by State authorities and by the Union of India, to establishments governed by the Union at the State level, as well as to private institutions, to take appropriate steps for removal of stray dogs within their institutional areas.
The Bench directed that, for effective implementation of the Supreme Court's directions, an accountability procedure be set up fixing responsibility on specific officials. It recorded that “all steps should be demonstrably taken” to prevent dog bite incidents that may threaten human life, particularly children and the elderly.
Grassroots Coordination and Pet Registration
The order brings in the State Legal Services Authority, acting through District Legal Services Authorities, in coordination with Municipal Corporations and the Veterinary Department, to educate people at the grassroots level on tackling the situation and to monitor outcomes. NGOs, the Bench noted, should also be encouraged to participate in this effort.
Following the Supreme Court's judgment, the Bench also directed the State Government to take steps for registering all pets that may threaten human life, including dogs, within a defined time-frame, with consequential penalties such as fines for non-compliance.
Order
The Bench directed that compliance with these orders, and with the directions issued by the Supreme Court, be placed before the Court before the next date of hearing, fixed for 3 August 2026. It clarified that the compliance obligation applies to the entire State of Rajasthan and is not limited to Jaipur city alone.