Supreme Court Reserves Verdict on National Stray Dog Management Policy

A Bench of Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and N.V. Anjaria reserved its decision after hearing the final round of submissions from various state governments, the Centre, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI).

It granted liberty to all parties to file their written submissions within one week.

During the hearing, the AWBI flagged discrepancies in data relating to stray dog sterilisation centres. The AWBI informed the Justice Nath-led Bench that while there were only 76 recognised sterilisation centres in the country, data submitted by various states suggested the existence of as many as 883 centres, many of which are yet to be recognised.

Expressing concern over the accuracy of sterilisation data and the use of earmarked funds, the Supreme Court directed the AWBI to process all pending applications for recognition of sterilisation centres within a specified timeframe.

The apex court had earlier heard detailed arguments from a wide spectrum of stakeholders, including dog lovers, victims of dog‑bite incidents and animal rights activists.

The suo motu proceedings have brought into focus the challenges surrounding the implementation of the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules, public safety concerns arising from dog bite incidents, and the need for a strengthened framework to address the stray dog issue nationwide in a humane manner.

Earlier, in August 2025, a Bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan had directed municipal bodies across Delhi-NCR to immediately capture all stray dogs and relocate them to shelters.

Citing serious concerns over public safety and the risk of rabies, the Justice Pardiwala-led Bench described the situation as "grim" and emphasised that urgent action was necessary to ensure the safety of children, women, and the elderly on the streets.

Directing the NDMC (New Delhi Municipal Council), the MCD (Municipal Corporation of Delhi), and civic agencies in Noida, Gurugram, and Ghaziabad to make the streets completely free of stray dogs, the two-judge Bench of the apex court issued a stern warning that any organisation or group obstructing their removal would face strict legal action.

It ordered these civic agencies to begin picking up all stray dogs in their jurisdictions and move them to designated shelters.

The verdict on the relocation of the stray dogs to shelters in Delhi-NCR sparked an uproar from several quarters of society and was later modified by the three-judge Bench. The modified directions shifted the focus to vaccination, sterilisation and release of dogs in accordance with the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules.

- IANS