Supreme Court Dubs Previous Order To Permanently Confine Stray Dogs In Shelters ‘Too Harsh’

Last Updated:August 22, 2025, 15:00 IST

The Supreme Court announced its modified order on the stray dogs matter and said that the previous order to confine them to shelters was "too harsh".

Supreme Court's stray dog order (PTI Image)

The Supreme Court on Friday took a critical view of the previous order passed by a two-judge bench to prohibit the release of sterilised stray dogs back onto the road, and observed that the directive was “too harsh".

The court cited the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules and said that stray dogs have to be sterilised, inoculated, and dewormed, and they have to be released back to their original place where they were picked up from.

“The direction given in the order dated 11th August, 2025, prohibiting the release of the treated and vaccinated dogs seems to be too harsh," a three-judge bench of Justice Vikram Nath, Justice Sandeep Mehta, and Justice NV Anjaria said while delivering a verdict on the pleas challenging the August 11 order, LiveLaw reported.

The court also noted that Rule 11(9) of the ABC Rules provided that the stray dogs, once sterilised, inoculated, and dewormed, have to be released.

The August 11 suo motu order by the top court had asked the authorities in Delhi-NCR to round up stray dogs within two months, keep them in the shelter, and not allow them to escape to the outside world.

The directive had drawn criticism from animal activists and protests by “dog lovers", who dubbed the order “inhumane".

The modified order issued by a larger bench today mandated the authorities to catch the stray dogs and vaccinate, sterilise them, and then release them back to the locality they were picked up.

The court also said that the dogs that are infected with rabies and show aggressive behaviour should not be released. The latest order also barred the “animal lovers" from feeding stray dogs in public spaces such as streets and said that action will be taken against persons found to be violating the order.

The top court also mandated that no adopted dog will be returned to the streets, and any individual dog lover or NGO that approaches the Supreme Court will pay Rs 25,000 and Rs 2 lakh, respectively.

Ashesh Mallick

Ashesh Mallick is a Sub-Editor with over three years of experience in news writing, video production. He primarily covers national news, politics and global affairs. You can follow him on Twitter: @MallickAshes...Read More

Ashesh Mallick is a Sub-Editor with over three years of experience in news writing, video production. He primarily covers national news, politics and global affairs. You can follow him on Twitter: @MallickAshes...

Read More

Location :

First Published:

August 22, 2025, 15:00 IST

News india Supreme Court Dubs Previous Order To Permanently Confine Stray Dogs In Shelters ‘Too Harsh’

Read More