Shreya Gupta
On 11th September, 2025, the Punjab and Haryana High Court transferred a contempt petition to the Supreme Court. The petition sought the implementation of a scheme for the management of stray dogs. This move comes in light of the Supreme Court’s recent decision to formulate a national policy on stray dog issues and to consolidate similar petitions pending before various High Courts.
Earlier, a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court had stayed a Division Bench order that restrained the release of stray dogs picked up from the Delhi National Capital Region for vaccination. Expanding the scope of the matter to cover the entire country, the Supreme Court had decided to transfer such petitions to itself for a comprehensive resolution.
Justice Vikas Bahl of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, while addressing the matter, noted that in view of the Supreme Court’s directions and the consensus among the counsels, the Registry was directed to comply with the Supreme Court’s order and forward the records of the present two cases to the Top Court. The contempt petitions before the High Court had been filed to seek implementation of a 2015 judgment of a division bench, which had directed the enforcement of a 2013 scheme regarding the management of the stray dog menace in Chandigarh, Punjab, and Haryana.
It was further noted that the Kerala High Court had also recently forwarded a batch of writ petitions on the issue to the Supreme Court. However, the Kerala High Court has retained cases that specifically relate to the determination of compensation for victims of stray dog attacks.
In the Punjab and Haryana matter, the petitioners were represented by advocates Saurabh Arora (COCP-1121-2017), Ritvik Garg, and Suvan Jain (COCP-1182-2017), while Additional Standing Counsel Jaivir S. Chandail appeared for respondents no.1 and 3, representing the Union Territory of Chandigarh.
Case Title: Rav Pratap Singh v. Anurag Aggarwal & Ors
Case Number: COCP-1121-2017 (O&M) & COCP-1182-2017(O&M)
Bench: Justice Vikas Bahl
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