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The Supreme Court connected Monday (April 6, 2026) sought responses from the Centre and others connected a plea seeking absorption to the authorities to guarantee that stray cattle is kept distant from nationalist and State highways crossed the country.
A seat of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta issued announcement to the Centre and others, including the States, Union Territories and Animal Welfare Board of India, seeking their responses connected the plea wrong 4 weeks.
The seat observed that respective States were charging 10% cattle cess but were doing nothing.
The counsel appearing for the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) told the seat that the apex tribunal has already reserved its bid successful the stray dogs case, which besides covers the contented of stray animals entering highways.
The counsel appearing for petitioner 'Lawyers For Human Rights International' said that mostly the contented would beryllium covered by the stray dogs lawsuit verdict, but determination were definite different aspects which were raised successful this petition.
The seat issued announcement connected the plea and posted it for proceeding aft 4 weeks.
The plea has sought a absorption to the authorities to framework and enforce azygous nationalist guidelines to forestall cattle intrusion connected highways.
It sought absorption for mandatory fencing of nationalist highways and expressway, peculiarly connected accident-prone stretches.
It besides sought the constitution of scientifically managed cattle shelters/'gaushalas' with earmarked funding, and the imposition of strict penal liability for amerciable abandonment of cattle.
Besides different directions, the plea besides sought the formulation of a no-fault compensation model for victims of accidents caused by stray cattle.
On January 29, the apical tribunal told the NHAI to see asking concessionaires progressive successful the operation of roads to acceptable up a 'gaushala' (cowshed) nether CSR work to instrumentality attraction of stray animals entering the highways.
‘Alarming rise’ successful stray dogs
The apex tribunal had reserved its verdict connected a batch of petitions seeking modification of its November 7 past twelvemonth bid connected relocation and sterilisation of stray dogs.
Taking enactment of the "alarming rise" successful canine wound incidents wrong organization areas specified arsenic acquisition institutions, hospitals and railway stations, the apex tribunal connected November 7, 2025, directed relocation of stray canines forthwith to designated shelters aft owed sterilisation and vaccination.
It had besides said stray dogs picked up shall not beryllium released backmost to their archetypal place. The tribunal had directed authorities to guarantee the removal of each cattle and different stray animals from the authorities highways, nationalist highways and expressways.
The apical tribunal was past proceeding a suo motu case, initiated connected July 28 past year, implicit a media study connected stray canine bites starring to rabies, peculiarly among children, successful the nationalist capital.
