Explained: Supreme Court’s modified verdict on stray dogs in Delhi-NCR
The Supreme Court on Friday revised its earlier ruling in a case involving stray dogs, directing authorities to release the canines picked up for sterilisation and immunisation. A bench comprising Justice Vikram Nath, Justice Sandeep Mehta, and Justice NV Anjaria stayed the earlier order, which instructed the municipal authorities in Delhi to begin rounding up stray dogs from all areas, prioritising vulnerable localities, and to establish shelters, thereby prohibiting their re-release.
In the new ruling, the bench clarified that the stray dogs should be released, except those that were infected with rabies or exhibiting aggressive behaviour. “They shall be dewormed, vaccinated, etc, and sent back to the same area,” the order said, adding that no public feeding of dogs is allowed. “Dedicated feeding spaces for stray dogs are to be created. There have been instances due to such feeding instances,” the court said, adding that the persons found feeding the dogs in contravention of this direction shall be liable to be proceeded with under the relevant framework.
The bench also reiterated some clauses in the August 11 order that stated that no individual or organisation should obstruct the Municipal authorities from picking up the dogs in terms of the ABC rules. The court also said it would transfer to itself the petitions filed in High Courts seeking the creation of a pan-India policy, thereby extending the scope of the matter beyond the Delhi-NCR region.
August 11 stray dog order
An earlier order passed by a bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan had prohibited against re-release of dogs, besides mandating sterilising, immunisation, and de-worming. It also ordered the creation of a dog shelter equipped with CCTV, adequate staff, food, and medical care, and could accommodate over 5,000 dogs. It further required the creation of a helpline within a week to report dog bites, the capture of offending dogs within four hours of a complaint, and the publication of monthly rabies vaccination and treatment data.
The court had also observed that the menace of dog bites violates the fundamental rights of citizens, stating that over 25,000 such cases were reported in Delhi in 2024 and more than 3,000 in January 2025 alone. However, the ruling was reconsidered after some lawyers mentioned before the Chief Justice of India that those directions were in conflict with the previous orders passed by other benches.
India