SC reverses order to capture all Delhi-NCR stray dogs
On August 14, 2025, a new three-judge Supreme Court bench began rehearing the Delhi-NCR stray dogs case after public outcry over an earlier order that called for all strays in Delhi, Gurugram, Noida, Ghaziabad, and Faridabad to be captured and sent to shelters—with no chance of being released.
Animal rights groups pushed back hard, worried this could mean mass deaths for these dogs.
New bench takes over the case
A new three-judge bench is taking another look at the issue.
The previous order demanded authorities catch, sterilize, vaccinate, and shelter all strays within eight weeks and set up at least 5,000 shelter spots.
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi has already started turning animal centers into shelters and banned returning dogs to the streets—hoping this will help stop rising dog bite cases and rabies deaths.
Why this case matters
This fight is about finding a balance between keeping people safe and treating animals humanely.
Whatever the court decides could shape how cities across India handle stray animals in the future.