Stray dog bites advocate in Gujarat HC premises, bar association demands removal of all strays

Gujarat High Court Advocates Association (GHCAA) has written a letter to Chief Justice Sunita Agrawal seeking removal of stray dogs from the high court’s premises at the earliest.

This development happened after a stray dog bit an advocate in the court premises on January 5.

In a letter to the Chief Justice, GHCAA highlighted growing discontent among bar members over the uncontrolled movement of stray dogs, which poses risks to the safety of advocates, litigants, and support staff. The association noted that 4-5 litigants suffered dog bites in December alone, while several advocates reported narrow escapes from attacks. One advocate was reportedly surrounded by stray dogs inside a chamber building, and dogs have been seen roaming freely outside the open area of the first court.

Earlier on November 10, 2025, the GHCAA in a letter to Registrar General of High Court stated that, the presence of stray dogs has created a situation where “any incident may happen at any moment”. The association demanded that the dogs be removed at the earliest and shifted to proper shelters.

The plea had come days after a Supreme Court Bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and N V Anjaria issued sweeping directions on November 7 to insulate key public spaces from the growing stray dog menace.

In a suo motu matter on nationwide stray dog management, the apex court had ordered that every educational institution, hospital, public sports complex, bus stand, and railway station must be properly fenced to prevent the entry of stray dogs.