Punjab launches campaign against stray dogs; CM Mann says will follow SC order

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab government on Friday launched a campaign against stray dogs, and chief minister Bhagwant Mann said the state government will follow the Supreme Court order in letter and spirit.

"The Punjab government will strictly follow in letter and spirit the Supreme Court order given on May 19, 2026. As per the SC orders, we will remove stray dogs from all high footfall public spaces so that children, senior citizens and families can move freely without fearing for their safety," Mann said in a post on X on Friday.

Mann wrote, "We will create and maintain an adequate number of dog shelters where they can be cared for properly."

"..Take legally permissible measures, including euthanasia, in cases involving rabid, incurably ill or demonstrably dangerous and aggressive dogs posing a threat to human life, strictly in accordance with the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and the ABC (Animal Birth Control) Rules," he said in the post.

The Supreme Court, in a significant verdict, allowed euthanasia of rabid, incurably ill, dangerous and aggressive dogs to curb the threat to human lives, saying the right to live with dignity encompasses the right to move freely without the threat of harm from canines.

In a first-of-its-kind order, the top court ruled that when the safety and lives of human beings are weighed against the interests and welfare of sentient beings, the constitutional balance must necessarily and unequivocally tilt in favour of the preservation and protection of human life.

A bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and NV Anjaria, which dismissed all the petitions and applications for recall, modification of the November 7, 2025, order, including the directive on relocation and sterilisation of dogs from institutional areas, said the right guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution stands at the "highest pedestal of constitutional protection". PTI