On January 13, 2026, the Supreme Court of India declared it will ask state governments to pay heavy compensation for injuries or deaths caused by dog bites. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and NV Anjaria expressed concern over the lack of enforcement of norms related to stray animals for the last five years. Justice Vikram Nath said, "For every dog bite, death or injury caused to children or elderly, we are going to ask the State Governments to pay heavy compensation, as they did not do anything on implementation of norms in the past five years. Also, responsibility and accountability will be fixed on those who are feeding these stray dogs. If you love these animals so much, then why don’t you take them to your house. Why should these dogs loiter around, bite and scare people?" Justice Sandeep Mehta agreed with Justice Nath, adding, "Who should be held accountable when dogs attack a nine-year-old? The organisation that is feeding them? You want us to shut our eyes to the problem." The top court heard petitions seeking changes to its November 7, 2025 order, which directed authorities to remove stray animals from institutional areas and roads. The court's strong stance highlights growing worries about public safety and stray dog management.