Supreme Court softens its earlier order on stray dogs in Delhi and the National Capital Region, calling the previous directive to remove all stray dogs from localities and place them in shelters “too harsh.”
A bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta, and NV Anjaria said that vaccinated and sterilised stray dogs should be returned to their original areas, except for animals that are rabid or show aggressive behaviour.
The court noted that before capturing all stray dogs, municipal authorities must assess available infrastructure and manpower. It said a blanket order to impound the entire population without evaluating resources could be impossible to implement.
The court directed municipal bodies to set up designated feeding areas in each ward while making it clear that feeding stray dogs in public spaces is not allowed. Authorities have also been asked to establish helplines for reporting violations. Individuals or organisations obstructing municipal operations may face legal action and fines of 25,000 rupees.
The earlier order, issued on August 11 by Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan, had required the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and civic agencies in Noida, Ghaziabad, Gurugram, and later Faridabad to capture all stray dogs within eight weeks and house them in shelters with a minimum capacity of 5,000 animals.
Friday’s modification aims to strike a balance between the welfare of stray dogs and the practical capabilities of municipal authorities.
