India’s Supreme Court has rolled back its earlier order to lock up all of Delhi’s stray dogs in shelters, after facing massive protests from animal welfare groups.
A new three-judge bench ruled that stray dogs should instead be sterilised and vaccinated before being released back to the same area. However, dogs found to be aggressive or carrying rabies will be kept in shelters after treatment.
The court also made it clear that feeding strays in public spaces is no longer allowed. Instead, special zones will be set up for people who want to feed them.
The U-turn comes after an earlier ruling on 11 August by a two-judge bench, which called the rise in dog bites a “menace” and ordered all strays in Delhi and its suburbs to be rounded up and housed in shelters within eight weeks.
Municipal sources estimate that Delhi alone has around one million stray dogs, with numbers rising in nearby cities like Noida, Ghaziabad and Gurugram. India as a whole is home to millions of strays, and according to the World Health Organization, the country accounts for 36% of global rabies deaths.
Animal welfare groups had strongly opposed the earlier order, pointing out that current rules allow sterilised dogs to be returned to their original area. They warned that locking up all strays would lead to overcrowded shelters, inhumane treatment, and even mass culling.
After the backlash, the Supreme Court agreed to review the matter. In its latest ruling, the bench allowed vaccinated and sterilised strays to return to the streets, while giving animal lovers the option to adopt them through municipal corporations. But once adopted, the dogs cannot be sent back outside.
The court also issued a warning that anyone found feeding stray dogs in public areas could face action, and animal welfare groups were told not to interfere with its orders.
The top court said it now plans to frame a national policy on stray dogs, considering similar cases are pending in other states.
