The Supreme Court has delivered a significant and historic judgment regarding stray dogs in India. The apex court has stated that dogs sent to shelter homes will be released after sterilization and vaccination.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court today delivered an important verdict on a petition filed against sending stray dogs to shelter homes. This decision by the court has brought major relief to dog lovers. The apex court directed that dogs sent to shelter homes should be released after sterilization. During the proceedings, the Court clarified that it wants to implement uniform rules for the entire country on this issue and notices have been sent to all states for this purpose.
The Supreme Court also stated that dangerous dogs will not be released. Additionally, the court ordered that designated feeding spots should be created for feeding dogs, as feeding them everywhere leads to difficulties and disputes.
Major Order from the Supreme Court
A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court – Justice Vikram Nath, Justice Sandeep Mehta, and Justice NV Anjaria – delivered this judgment during a hearing on Friday. The court said that feeding stray dogs everywhere is not appropriate. Designated feeding spots should be created so that the public does not face inconvenience and dogs can also get food safely.
The apex court clarified that this decision will not be limited to Delhi-NCR but will be implemented across the country. For this, the Supreme Court has issued notices to the Department of Animal Husbandry, the Central Government, all states, and Union Territories. The court wants uniform guidelines to be implemented throughout India. Furthermore, the Court has sought information on similar cases pending in High Courts across the country and stated that these will be transferred to the Supreme Court to avoid any contradictions.
Ban on Public Places, Food Only at Designated Spots
In its order, the Supreme Court stated that people should stop feeding dogs anywhere and everywhere. This is because feeding dogs in public places leads to crowding, litter, and sometimes incidents of attacks. The court said that local administrations in every city and area should create designated places where people can safely feed dogs.
This decision came on a petition challenging the order given by a two-judge bench on August 11, 2025. That order directed the capture and sending of stray dogs in Delhi-NCR to shelter homes. The court had then said that this step was necessary to prevent rabies and dog bite incidents. However, several petitions were filed against this, and the matter came before a larger bench of the Supreme Court.
