diff --git a/tensorflow/core/kernels/ctc_loss_op.cc b/tensorflow/core/kernels/ctc_loss_op.cc
index 426382edeca..a1f60019141 100644
--- a/tensorflow/core/kernels/ctc_loss_op.cc
+++ b/tensorflow/core/kernels/ctc_loss_op.cc
@@ -88,6 +88,9 @@ class CTCLossOp : public OpKernel {
                     labels_indices->shape().DebugString(), " vs. ",
                     labels_values->shape().DebugString()));
 
+    OP_REQUIRES(ctx, batch_size != 0,
+                errors::InvalidArgument("batch_size must not be 0"));
+
     TensorShape labels_shape({batch_size, max_time});
     std::vector<int64> order{0, 1};
     sparse::SparseTensor labels_sp(*labels_indices, *labels_values,
diff --git a/tensorflow/python/kernel_tests/ctc_loss_op_test.py b/tensorflow/python/kernel_tests/ctc_loss_op_test.py
index 5b93f90a799..18e92162b93 100644
--- a/tensorflow/python/kernel_tests/ctc_loss_op_test.py
+++ b/tensorflow/python/kernel_tests/ctc_loss_op_test.py
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import numpy as np
 
 from tensorflow.python.framework import constant_op
 from tensorflow.python.framework import dtypes
+from tensorflow.python.framework import errors_impl
 from tensorflow.python.framework import sparse_tensor
 from tensorflow.python.ops import ctc_ops
 from tensorflow.python.ops import gradients_impl
@@ -260,6 +261,18 @@ class CTCLossTest(test.TestCase):
                                    "explicitly disabled"):
         _ = gradients_impl._hessian_vector_product(loss, [inputs_t], v)
 
+  def testEmptyBatch(self):
+    inputs = constant_op.constant([], dtype=dtypes.float32, shape=(1, 0, 2))
+    sequence_lengths = constant_op.constant([], dtype=dtypes.int32)
+    labels = sparse_tensor.SparseTensor(
+        indices=constant_op.constant([], shape=(0, 2), dtype=dtypes.int64),
+        values=constant_op.constant([], shape=(0,), dtype=dtypes.int32),
+        dense_shape=[5, 5])
+
+    with self.test_session(use_gpu=False) as sess:
+      with self.assertRaisesRegexp(errors_impl.InvalidArgumentError,
+                                   "batch_size must not be 0"):
+        sess.run(ctc_ops.ctc_loss(labels, inputs, sequence_lengths))
 
 if __name__ == "__main__":
   test.main()