Supreme Court Modifies Order on Stray Dogs, Calls Earlier Directions “Too Harsh”

The Supreme Court on Friday eased its earlier directive on the management of stray dogs in Delhi-NCR, observing that a blanket ban on releasing treated animals back to localities was “too harsh.”

A bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and NV Anjaria said the August 11 order, which required civic bodies to remove all strays and confine them to shelters, was impractical given the lack of infrastructure.

“The direction given in the order dated 11th August, 2025, prohibiting the release of treated and vaccinated dogs seems to be too harsh, in our opinion,” the court observed.

Under the revised order, stray dogs will now be sterilised and immunised and then released back into their original areas, except in cases where the animals are rabid or display aggressive behaviour.

The court also directed municipal authorities to:

Create designated feeding zones in every ward, while prohibiting feeding strays in public spaces.

Set up helpline numbers to report violations.

Ensure that no individual or NGO obstructs municipal workers during stray dog management drives. Any obstruction could lead to legal action, with NGOs or animal lovers causing hindrance facing penalties of ₹25,000.


The bench emphasised that orders must be realistic: “A blanket direction to pick up all strays and place them in shelters without evaluating existing infrastructure may lead to a catch-22 situation, as such directions may be impossible to comply with.”

Background

On August 11, Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan had directed municipal bodies in Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram, and Faridabad to capture all stray dogs within eight weeks and place them in shelters with a capacity of at least 5,000 animals each. The order barred re-release of dogs onto the streets, sparking concern among animal welfare groups.

With Friday’s modification, strays will return to their localities after treatment, striking a balance between public safety and animal rights.