All stray dogs should be released after being vaccinated, sterilised: SC

The Supreme Court on Friday said that all stray dogs, except those that are rabid or aggressive, should be released after being vaccinated and sterilised. 

In doing so, the court modified the August 11 order passed by Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan, which had stated that stray dogs picked up from the Delhi National Capital Region must not be released back to their respective localities, even after being sterilised or vaccinated.

 

Terming this order "too harsh," a three-judge bench of Justice Vikram Nath, Justice Sandeep Mehta, and Justice N.V. Anjaria on Friday said that Rule 11(9) of the ABC Rules stipulated that once stray dogs have been sterilised, inoculated, and dewormed, they must be released back to the same locality from which they were picked up.

 

This rule is part of the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, which are established under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, for managing the population of stray animals.

 

“A blanket direction to pick up all the strays and place them in dog shelters/pounds without evaluating the existing infrastructure may lead to a catch-22 situation because such directions may be impossible to comply with. We, therefore, feel that a holistic approach requires the mollification of the directions issued via the order dated August 11, 2025,” the court said.

 

The court has also put a ban on public feeding of stray dogs and directed the establishment of dedicated feeding spaces.

 

Further, no individual or organisation should obstruct municipal authorities from picking up dogs in accordance with the ABC Rules, failing which action would be taken against them, the court added.

 

Individual dog lovers and non-government organisations that had approached the apex court in the ongoing stray dogs matter must deposit Rs 25,000 and Rs 2 lakh, respectively, with the court registry within seven days. Failing this, the petitioner or intervenor will not be allowed to appear further in the matter.

 

Animal lovers could apply to municipal corporations to adopt strays, but these dogs were not to be returned to the street, the court said.

 

The three-judge bench of the apex court expanded the scope of the proceedings nationwide and impleaded all States and Union Territories to facilitate the framing of a uniform policy around stray dogs after hearing similar cases pending in different states.

 

Welcoming the decision, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi said in a post on X, “I welcome the Supreme Court’s revised directions on stray dogs, as it marks a progressive step toward balancing animal welfare and public safety. The approach is both compassionate and rooted in scientific reasoning.”

 

Animal rights activist and BJP leader Maneka Gandhi also welcomed the decision. “I am very happy with this scientific judgement. Relocation and fear are the primary reasons dogs bite,” she said, speaking to mediapersons.