The Supreme Court of India has reignited a crucial national debate on managing the country's stray dog population. During a hearing on Thursday, the apex court was urged to consider technology-backed solutions like microchipping and geo-tagging to complement existing measures. The city of Bengaluru found itself at the heart of this discussion, as its 2024 pilot project for microchipping community dogs was cited as a key reference point.
Legal Push for Technology in Stray Dog Management
Senior advocate Nakul Dewan presented arguments before the Supreme Court, suggesting that microchipping could significantly enhance the existing Animal Birth Control (ABC) protocol, which primarily involves vaccination and sterilisation. He pointed out that the current trap-neuter-return (TNR) framework does not fully explore the potential of tracking technologies.
Dewan emphasised that the mechanism is neither prohibitively expensive nor technologically complex. He argued that if implemented systematically during vaccination or sterilisation drives, authorities could instantly scan a chip to verify a dog's medical history. This would prevent repeated vaccinations, help track dogs flagged for aggressive behaviour, and identify if a dog has already been processed by civic bodies.
Noting that the ABC Rules do not explicitly forbid microchipping, the advocate suggested the court could issue directions or form an expert committee to examine the feasibility of integrating microchipping and geo-tagging with standard protocols.
Bengaluru's 2024 Pilot: A Case Study
The legal arguments cast a renewed spotlight on a specific initiative: the microchipping pilot project launched in Bengaluru in 2024. The erstwhile Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) undertook this project in parts of west Bengaluru, implanting microchips with unique identification numbers into stray dogs during routine ABC operations.
The goal was to link each dog to a digital database containing details like vaccination history, location, and medical records. Approximately 500 dogs in the Malleswaram and Mathikere areas were chipped through a not-for-profit organisation.
Former BBMP special commissioner for animal husbandry, Suralkar Vikas Kishor, stated the pilot was successful and that plans for expansion were underway. A tender was floated, but the process stalled at the financial bid stage following the formation of the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA). He confirmed that software development for data tracking was also in progress.
Strong Opposition from Animal Welfare Groups
Despite official claims of success, the project faced intense resistance from animal rights activists, who raised legal, logistical, and ethical concerns. Activists argue that microchipping free-roaming dogs lacks legal backing under the ABC Rules-2023, which mandate only sterilisation and vaccination.
They highlight the immense logistical challenge in a city like Bengaluru, estimated to have over 2.8 lakh stray dogs. Unlike pets, street dogs would need to be repeatedly caught and scanned to check their status, a task deemed impractical and a diversion of scarce resources from core ABC work.
Sujaya Jagadish, trustee of Save Our Animals Charitable Trust, warned of behavioural impacts. "Repeated catching and releasing of dogs could increase stress and aggression, undermining the very objective of reducing dog-human conflict," she said. Activists also questioned the safety of roadside procedures compared to clinical settings for pets.
Following a petition by the Trust in the Karnataka High Court, the project's expansion was halted. This challenge is now pending before the Supreme Court, alongside all other stray dog-related matters.
Current Practices and the Road Ahead
Currently, empanelled NGOs in Bengaluru conduct ward-wise vaccination drives. Dogs are vaccinated and marked with non-toxic paint for visual identification. They use fixed routes and a common app to record coverage, aiming for about 70% vaccination in a ward before moving on.
As the Supreme Court deliberates, Bengaluru's experience with microchipping stands as a critical reference — potentially a model for other cities or a cautionary tale about implementation challenges. The court's eventual decision could reshape how Indian cities manage their street animal populations in the years to come.
