Supreme Court reverses stray dog ruling, asks for shelters
The Supreme Court just changed its approach to managing stray dogs across India.
Now, sterilized and vaccinated strays can go back to the streets—unless they have rabies or act aggressively.
Plus, animal lovers and NGOs who approached the Supreme Court against the earlier order are being asked to help out financially: ₹25,000 from individuals and ₹2 lakh from organizations, all going toward new shelters.
Controversy over permanent removal sparked protests
Earlier this month, the court had ordered all strays into shelters with no chance of release.
But protests broke out over concerns about permanent removal and lack of proper facilities.
New rules apply across India
A three-judge bench has now made these changes apply across India—not just Delhi NCR—and is taking over related cases from other courts.
Municipalities must set up special feeding zones for strays; feeding them elsewhere could mean legal trouble.
The court will check back on progress in eight weeks.