HC asks Centre to finalise SOP for using service dogs to assist differently-abled

HC asks Centre to finalise SOP for using service dogs to assist differently-abled

New Delhi, The Delhi High Court has asked the Centre to finalise the standard operating procedure for the use of service dogs to assist differently-abled persons.

HC asks Centre to finalise SOP for using service dogs to assist differently-abled

A bench of Justices Dinesh Mehta and Aditi Choudhary said it expects the authorities to finalise the SOP by January 7, 2027, the next date of hearing in the matter.

The court was hearing a petition by Dhananjay Sanjogta Foundation raising the issue of lack of a framework for the use of therapy or service animals by persons with disabilities.

"While expecting that the respondent nos.1 and 2 will finalise the SOP by the next date of hearing so that persons like the petitioner and others can use service dogs for their easy commutation/ movement, we post this matter on January 7, 2027," the bench said.

During the hearing on October 6, the counsel for the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying and the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities placed before the court a draft SOP on 'service dogs for assisting disabled persons in India' and said that objections have been invited from the public and all the stakeholders, and that the SOP would soon be finalised.

It was suggested that all service dogs should have a pre-fixed coloured unique collar to enable the public, including security personnel, to know that it is a service dog and is not likely to cause harm.

It was further suggested that when taken in crowded areas, like cinema halls, malls and hospitals, the service dogs should be muzzled to ensure peace and harmony.

The Centre's counsel assured the court that the inputs will be communicated to the concerned authorities for consideration and incorporation in the SOP.

The PIL, filed by the organisation in 2024, challenged the Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023 on the grounds that they violate the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016, to the extent that they fail to address the issue of stray animal attacks on persons with disabilities .

The petitioner said India, particularly Delhi, has a very high population of stray animals, most of which are not vaccinated and sterilised.

It was stated that due to lapses in the management of stray animals, many of them also become aggressive and prone to attacking people, which poses a major health and safety risk to the inhabitants of localities with a high population of stray animals, especially when it comes to vulnerable sections of the population including aged individuals and PwDs.

The plea said that the inability of visually impaired persons to anticipate threats and their restricted mobility renders them incapable of defending themselves in cases of an attack by stray animals.

It added that many PwDs in other jurisdictions rely on service and therapy animals to go about their lives, but there is no framework for PwDs in India to utilise service or therapy animals, thus placing them in a disadvantageous position.

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