Key takeaways from Supreme Court's new stray dog order
What's the story
The Supreme Court on Friday modified an August 11 order by a different bench on stray dogs in the Delhi-National Capital Region. The new order allows the release of stray dogs from shelters after they are vaccinated and dewormed. "Prohibition on release of strays shall be stayed. They shall be dewormed, vaccinated, etc., and sent back to the same area," the court ordered. However, aggressive dogs or those infected with rabies will not be released into public spaces.
Court directives
Feeding spaces to be created
The new order also prohibits public feeding of these animals and mandates the creation of dedicated feeding spaces. The court, however, said that the earlier directions to animal rights activists not to obstruct the work of municipal bodies will still be in effect. Animal rights activists and NGOs who have approached the court must deposit ₹25,000 and ₹2 lakh, respectively, with the court for their plea to be heard.
National policy
All states and UTs impleaded in the case
They must approach this court within a period of seven days, failing which they shall not be allowed to appear in the matter any further, the bench said. The Supreme Court has also impleaded all states and union territories in the case, adding that it will formulate a national policy after hearing the case in detail. The court has also transferred similar cases from various high courts to itself for this purpose.
Issue background
Earlier order on dog culling
The case grabbed headlines after a bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan on August 11 directed municipal authorities in Delhi to round up stray dogs and establish shelters with an initial capacity of 5,000 within eight weeks. The ruling also barred the re-release of dogs back into the streets, mandated sterilization, immunization, and deworming, and required shelters to be provided with CCTV, appropriate staff, food, and medical care.
Cases
25,000 street dog menaces were documented in Delhi
The court issued the order on August 11 in a suo motu case. It noted that over 25,000 street dog menaces were documented in Delhi in 2024, with more than 3,000 in January 2025 alone. The court had also slammed animal activists for "virtue signaling" that ignored core problems related to stray dogs. "All these animal activists, will they be able bring back who have fallen prey to rabies?" the bench asked.