In a landmark U-turn, the Supreme Court of India has revised its earlier ruling on stray dogs in the Delhi-NCR region, charting a more balanced course that prioritises sterilisation and vaccination over complete removal. The apex court’s new directive, issued by a three-judge bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and NV Anjaria, now permits the release of sterilised and vaccinated canines back into their familiar territories, a stark reversal of its August 11 order that had mandated their indefinite confinement in shelters.
The bench’s decision carves out a key exception for public safety, decreeing that only dogs displaying signs of rabies or aggressive behaviour will be kept in dedicated shelters, even after being sterilised and immunised. Furthermore, the ruling lays down a stringent framework for the public feeding of strays. It explicitly prohibits feeding on the streets and mandates that municipal bodies establish designated ‘feeding zones’ in every ward. These zones are to be clearly marked with notice boards, and any breach of this new regulation could invite legal action. To enforce this, municipal authorities have been directed to set up dedicated helplines for citizens to report violations.
In a move to foster greater community involvement, the court has also streamlined the process for individuals and NGOs to adopt stray dogs. Potential adopters must now apply to municipal bodies, which will then tag and hand over the animals. The onus of preventing the adopted dogs from returning to the streets will fall squarely on the new owners. The court has also called for a financial commitment from key players in the case, directing individuals to deposit Rs 25,000 and NGOs Rs 2 lakh. Failure to comply will result in their exclusion from future proceedings, with the collected funds earmarked for bolstering stray dog infrastructure.
Broadening the scope of the matter, the bench has impleaded all states and Union Territories, tasking their Animal Husbandry Departments with submitting a response on framing a national policy. It has also ordered the transfer of all pending cases on stray dogs from various High Courts to the apex court, aiming for a unified judicial approach. This latest ruling seeks to strike a delicate balance between safeguarding public health, a concern amplified by government data showing over 37 lakh dog bite cases nationwide, and ensuring the welfare of stray animals, moving away from the complete removal model previously envisioned.
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