Punjab govt to launch campaign against stray, killer dogs: CM Mann

The Punjab government will launch a campaign to eliminate stray and killer dogs following a Supreme Court ruling that allows euthanasia of aggressive and rabid canines.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday said his government will launch a campaign starting Friday against stray and killer dogs which endanger the lives of people.

On May 19, the Supreme Court in a significant verdict allowed euthanasia of rabid, incurably ill, dangerous and aggressive dogs to curb threat to human lives, saying the right to live with dignity encompasses the right to move freely without the threat of harm from canines.

''Following the Honourable Supreme Court's decision, the Punjab government will launch a massive campaign starting tomorrow to eliminate stray and killer dogs that pose a threat to the lives of children and passersby...Thanks to the Supreme Court,'' Mann said in a post on X in Punjabi.

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 N V 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''.