CHENNAI: Expressing displeasure over the State government's response to the stray dog menace, the Madras High Court on Tuesday (July 21) observed that no effective action appeared to have been taken to curb the problem despite the Supreme Court's directions, and granted the State one week's time to file a compliance report.
When the matter came up for hearing before the First Bench of the Madras High Court, comprising Chief Justice SA Dharmadhikari and Justice G Arul Murugan, the State government submitted that the report was ready and sought one week to file it before the court.
Expressing displeasure, the Bench observed that stray dog bite incidents were occurring daily, with children being the worst affected, and noted that monthly compliance reports were required under the Supreme Court's directions.
The judges said no effective action appeared to have been taken to curb the menace and pointed out that even the Madras High Court campus was facing the problem.
They observed that while the government's report might contain details of the measures taken, no concrete results were visible on the ground, and directed the authorities to ensure effective implementation of the Supreme Court's directions.
The Bench granted one week's time to file the report and adjourned the matter to July 30.
The Supreme Court on May 19, 2026, upheld the Animal Welfare Board's Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), expanded the scope of institutional premises, and directed all High Courts to initiate suo motu public interest litigations to monitor the implementation of its directions.
A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and NV Anjaria took note of a news report and expressed shock over the 6.25 lakh dog bite cases and 34 deaths reported in the state in 2025.
The Supreme Court ruled that sterilised stray dogs picked up from any public place do not have an absolute right to be released at the same location and should instead be shifted to animal shelters.
The Madras High Court then initiated suo motu proceedings and directed the Governments of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry to file status reports on the implementation of the Supreme Court's directions.