Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Aug 22: Stray dogs will eventually roam free on Delhi-NCR streets with the Supreme Court on Friday modifying its earlier order on rounding up and permanently moving all strays to shelters and directed that the animals be released into the localities from which they were captured, after undergoing sterilisation, deworming, and immunisation.
Terming its August 11, 2025, order “too harsh,” the court said “The directions to the extent that they prohibit the release of the picked up strays, shall be kept in abeyance for the time being. The dogs that are picked up shall be sterilised, dewormed, vaccinated, and released back to the same area from which they were picked up,” the Bench ordered, except in the cases of the stray dogs with rabies infections or showing aggressive behaviour.
A three-judge bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and NV Anjaria, reviewing an earlier order by the court, also expanded the scope of the issue and ordered that all similar matters pending before high courts be transferred to the top court for a final national policy. It also said people would not be allowed to feed stray dogs in public and ordered the creation of dedicated feeding spaces within municipal wards.
The court had earlier ordered the rounding up of all stray dogs, aiming to make the streets of Delhi-NCR free of stray dogs. Amid a pushback from animal activists and celebrities, it decided to revisit the issue and had reserved its verdict earlier this week. The bench noted that while the earlier mandate intended to protect citizens from attacks by “aggressive and rabid” canines, an absolute prohibition on their release would run contrary to Rule 11(19) of the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, 2023, framed under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.
However, the court clarified that this would not apply to dogs infected or suspected to be infected with rabies, or those displaying aggressive behaviour. “Such dogs shall be sterilised and immunised, but under no circumstances should they be released back on the streets. As far as possible, they shall be housed in separate pounds or shelters after sterilisation and immunisation,” the Bench said, describing its approach as a “balancing exercise.”
The court also directed municipal authorities to set up dedicated feeding zones in every ward to ensure that no inconvenience is caused due to the feeding of strays in public spaces. It noted that the measure was necessitated by reports of “untoward incidents” caused by unregulated feeding, which had created “great difficulties for the common man walking on the streets.”
“The feeding areas shall be created keeping in view the population and concentration of stray dogs in the particular municipal ward. Gantries/notice boards shall be placed near such designated feeding areas, mentioning that stray dogs shall only be fed in such areas. Under no condition shall the feeding of stray dogs on the streets be permitted. The persons found feeding the dogs on the streets in contravention of the above directions shall be liable to be proceeded against under the relevant legal framework,” the court said.
The Bench further directed civic bodies to establish a dedicated helpline for reporting violations, adding that on receipt of such complaints, “appropriate measures shall be taken against the individuals/NGOs concerned.” It also made it clear that anyone obstructing a public servant acting in compliance with the directions would face punitive action.
However, Justice Nath permitted animal lovers desirous of adopting canines to apply to the concerned municipal body, but underscored that the responsibility would rest on the adopter to ensure that the dogs do not return to the streets. Dog lovers and NGOs that want to be impleaded in further hearings in the matter have been allowed to approach the court by depositing a token amount within seven days.
“Each individual dog lover and each NGO that has approached this Court shall deposit a sum of Rs 25,000 and Rs 2,00,000, respectively, with the Registry of this Court within a period of 7 days, failing which they shall not be allowed to appear in the matter any further,” the court said. “The amounts so deposited shall be utilised in the creation of the infrastructure and facilities for the stray dogs under the aegis of the respective municipal bodies,” the court said.
Notably, the court expanded the ambit of the proceedings beyond the Delhi–National Capital Region (NCR), directing that the matter be treated as a pan-India issue to facilitate the framing of a uniform national policy. The Bench also said it would transfer to itself similar petitions pending before various High Courts to prevent multiplicity of proceedings.
The suo motu case initially heard by a Bench led by Justice J.B. Pardiwala, was later reassigned by Chief Justice of India (CJI) B.R. Gavai to the three-judge Bench headed by Justice Vikram Nath. The reassignment followed an oral mentioning on August 13, 2025, by a lawyer who apprised the CJI of a May 9, 2024 order mandating compassionate treatment of stray canines.
During the proceedings, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Union Government, had submitted that most fatalities from dog bites and rabies involved children and urged the court to devise an immediate solution to what he termed an escalating public health crisis.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for an NGO that looks after dogs, had pressed for a stay on some of the directives in the August 11, 2025, order, on the ground that they contravened the ABC Rules, which prohibit the relocation of strays from their original habitats.
In its August 11, 2025, order, Justices J.B. Pardiwala and K. Mahadevan had directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and other civic authorities to round up all stray dogs within eight weeks and confine them in shelters, with no re-release onto the streets. The authorities had also been instructed to establish shelters with the capacity to house at least 5,000 dogs within the same period.
The sweeping directives, however, provoked strong opposition from animal rights activists, welfare organisations, and public figures, who stressed that the region lacked the infrastructure to accommodate an estimated eight lakh stray dogs. They cautioned that the large-scale capture of so many canines would result in logistical chaos and possible acts of cruelty.
PETA India, the foremost voice for animal rights in the country, thanked the court with an “every dog has her day” statement. The court order proves that the majority thinks of community dogs as beloved neighbours and friends, said PETA India. “They say every dog has her day, and today is the day for Sheru at the tea stall, Rani at the mandir steps, and Moti in the society grounds,” PETA said and urged the public to stay vigilant to ensure dogs are not wrongly labelled as “aggressive” and unfairly picked up.
Former Union Minister and animal rights activist Maneka Gandhi also welcomed the order but urged the court to define the terms under which a dog can be declared as aggressive. Some people in Noida, however, appeared upset; they said the earlier order was more appropriate.