"Aggressive, Dogs With Rabies Won't...": 5 Highlights From Supreme Court's Stray Dogs Order

The Supreme Court on Friday said the earlier court direction on picking up stray dogs shall remain. The order has now been modified, stating that dogs with aggressive behaviour or with rabies shall be immunized.

The top court said the stray dogs could be released from the shelters after sterilisation. 

Here are the five things Supreme Court said:-

• Stray dogs to be vaccinated, released in the same area they were picked up from. Aggressive dogs, dogs with rabies to not be released
• Stray dogs cannot be fed on the roads. Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to create designated feeding space for stray dogs
• Persons found feeding stray dogs on streets shall be liable to be proceeded with under relevant legal framework
• Notice boards shall be placed near designated feeding areas mentioning that stray dogs shall only be fed in such areas
• Feeding areas shall be created by civic bodies keeping in view population, concentration of stray dogs in particular municipal ward

A three-judge bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and NV Anjaria, reviewing an earlier order by the court, also expanded the scope of the issue and ordered that all similar matters be transferred to the top court for a final national policy.

The court had earlier ordered the rounding up of all stray dogs, aiming to make the streets of Delhi-NCR free of stray dogs. Amid a pushback from animal activists and celebrities, it decided to revisit the issue and had reserved its verdict earlier this week.

"Municipal authorities shall comply with para 12, 12.1 and 12.2, prohibition on release of strays shall be stayed. They shall be dewormed, vaccinated, etc, and sent back to the same area. Those dogs with aggressive behavior or with rabies shall be immunized and not released," said Justice Nath.

The court also said that public feeding of stray dogs cannot be allowed under any condition and ordered civic bodies to create dedicated feeding areas in municipal wards. Those violating the order would face legal action, it has warned.

A bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan had on August 11 ordered all stray dogs in Delhi-NCR to be moved to shelters within eight weeks, taking note of the rising incidents of dog bites and rabies cases, and even death. At least 37 lakh dog bites and 54 suspected rabies deaths were reported in 2024, according to the government.

The court had directed authorities to capture stray dogs from the streets and warned against any interference in the rounding-up exercise. The authorities were also asked to make shelters for at least 5,000 dogs.