HC transfers PIL on alleged killing of 40 dogs near SIU to Supreme Court
HYDERABAD: The Telangana high court on Wednesday transferred a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking directions for registration of a criminal case and a court-monitored probe into the alleged killing of 40 community dogs near Symbiosis International University (SIU) on the outskirts of Hyderabad to the Supreme Court.
A division bench of Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh and Justice G M Mohiuddin ordered the transfer, noting that the issues raised in the PIL overlapped with matters already pending before the apex court on stray dog management. The registry was directed to place the petition before the Supreme Court for an analogous hearing.
The PIL was filed by advocate V Rishihas Reddy, who alleged that the tahsildar of Nandigama, the sarpanch of Modallaguda village, and the university’s top administration and officials had trapped and killed the dogs.
During the hearing, the bench referred to a November 2025 Supreme Court order on the stray dog issue. The petitioner’s counsel argued that the present case was distinct, as it concerned the illegal killing of dogs rather than dog bite incidents. He sought interim protection to prevent further killings and urged strict compliance with the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023, and the apex court’s directions on stray dog management, including in institutional areas.
When the bench pointed out the absence of documentary evidence and observed that the material placed on record largely comprised social media posts, the counsel said university students and staff had informed him about the deaths and that gram panchayat officials had confirmed the incident.
“There is a clear air of suspicion, and something grossly horrible has happened here. The university, along with the officials, has to come clean about it,” the counsel submitted, seeking immediate registration of a first information report and a court-monitored investigation.
The petitioner also sought the appointment of an independent inquiry commission, headed by a retired high court judge, to probe the sequence of events leading to the deaths and to examine the alleged failure of the state to implement animal welfare laws.
Recording the submissions, the bench said that while the petitioner attempted to distinguish the case from those before the Supreme Court, the subject matter fell within the broader issues concerning stray dogs already under consideration by the apex court.
Minister flags poisoning of dogs as criminal offence
Separately, rural development minister Seethakka said the government had taken serious note of reports of street dogs being killed in gram panchayats. Terming the incidents a matter of grave concern, she said poisoning animals was a criminal offence and such acts would not be tolerated.
While acknowledging concerns of village administrations over rising stray dog populations, the minister said violence against animals was unacceptable and stressed adherence to legal and humane methods of population control.
