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Supreme Court says previous order prohibiting release of stray dogs ‘too harsh’
The top court made the observation as it modified its earlier August 11 order regarding the management of stray dogs in Delhi and NCR.
The Supreme Court on Friday said that its previous order to remove all stray dogs from localities in Delhi-NCR and relocate them to shelters appears to be “too harsh”.
The court made the observation as it modified its earlier August 11 order regarding the management of stray dogs in Delhi and NCR (National Capital Region), directing that the animals will be released back into the same area after sterilisation and immunisation, except those suffering from rabies or displaying aggressive behaviour.
“The direction given in the order dated 11th August, 2025, prohibiting the release of the treated and vaccinated dogs seems to be too harsh, in our opinion,” a bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and NV Anjaria said.
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The bench added that before any direction for impounding "the entire stray dog population, it is necessary to have a look at the existing infrastructure and human resources available with the municipal bodies.
“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,” the court said in its Friday order.
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The court directed municipal bodies to identify and create designated feeding areas within each ward while making it clear that feeding stray dogs in public spaces would not be permitted under any circumstance.
“If violated, they will be proceeded under law,” the order said. Municipal authorities have also been asked to establish helpline numbers to report violations.
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The bench stressed that no individual or organisation should obstruct the functioning of municipal bodies in capturing stray dogs. Public servants facing obstruction will be free to initiate proceedings against those responsible, and each NGO or animal lover found creating hindrance may be directed to pay ₹25,000 as costs.
What Supreme Court's previous order said
The August 11 order, passed by justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan, required the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and civic agencies in Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram – later expanded in a written order to include Faridabad – to round up all stray dogs within eight weeks and keep them in dedicated shelters, with no re-release onto the streets.
The authorities were also directed to establish shelters with capacity for at least 5,000 animals within eight weeks.
