Disclaimer: This has been reported after the availability of the order of the Court and not on media reports so as to give an accurate report to our readers.
Madhya Pradesh High Court: In a public interest litigation (“PIL”) filed seeking removal of livestock from city limits and stray dogs, the Division Bench of Vijay Kumar Shukla and Binod Kumar Dwivedi, JJ., directed the Indore Municipal Corporation (“IMC”) to identify prominent public places, including tourist places of Indore city, such as Chhappan Dukan and Sarafa, and conduct a drive for removal of stray dogs.
Background
The present PIL was filed seeking a direction to remove the livestock, i.e., cattle, sheep, and goats, from the city limits to protect the greenery. An issue of stray dogs was also raised in the petition.
On 25-11-2025, the Court granted 10 days to the State to apprise what action had been taken by the IMC regarding the removal of stray dogs in terms of the directions passed by the Supreme Court in In Re: “City Hounded by Strays, Kids Pay Price”, 2025 SCC OnLine SC 2371.
The State informed the Court that the IMC undertook certain drives for the cattle and the stray dogs’ issues. Teams of IMC were constantly engaged in the removal of stray cattle from the city, and updated reports were forwarded to the concerned department every quarter.
However, the intervenors contended that the whole city was facing a stray dog menace, and several dog-biting cases were being reported.
Analysis
Considering the contentions, the Court directed the IMC to comply with the directions passed by the Court in Sanjay v. State of M.P., 2019 SCC OnLine MP 855, and in City Hounded (Supra). To ensure proper compliance with the directions, the Court directed the Commissioner, IMC, to convene a meeting of the officers concerned within 10 days and prepare an action plan in this regard.
Furthermore, the Court directed the IMC to identify prominent public places, including tourist places of Indore city, such as Chhappan Dukan and Sarafa, and conduct a drive for the removal of stray dogs as a top priority. The IMC was also directed to file an action report in this regard, mentioning the data on the sterilization of stray dogs along with an affidavit of a senior officer.
The Court warned that if the action report was not satisfactory, it may direct the personal appearance of the Commissioner, IMC.
The matter was listed on 13-01-2026.
[Doing Needful An Association of Young People Plantation Group of Indore City v. State of Madhya Pradesh, WP No. 15275 of 2019, decided on 19-12-2025]
Advocates who appeared in this case:
For the petitioner: Gagan Bajad
Amicus Curiae: Senior Counsel Piyush Mathur and Advocate Madhusudan Dwivedi
For the respondent: Government Advocate Bhuwan Gautam, Advocates Kirti Patwardhan and Manish Yadav